Download or read book The Imprint of Congress written by David R. Mayhew and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2017-05-23 with total page 176 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What kind of job has America's routinely disparaged legislative body actually done? In The Imprint of Congress, the distinguished congressional scholar David R. Mayhew gives us an insightful historical analysis of the U.S. Congress’s performance from the late eighteenth century to today, exploring what its lasting imprint has been on American politics and society. Mayhew suggests that Congress has balanced the presidency in a surprising variety of ways, and in doing so, it has contributed to the legitimacy of a governing system faced by an often fractious public.