60-Second Civics: Episode 2546, Political parties as additional checks and balances Martin Van Buren thought that political parties provided an additional set of checks and balances.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2544, Martin Van Buren on political parties Martin Van Buren and Thomas Jefferson had differing views about the role of political parties.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2542, The Twelfth Amendment The Constitution originally gave the vice presidency to the second-place finisher in a presidential election.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2540, The Alien and Sedition Acts The Alien and Sedition Acts gave the president sweeping powers to act against people he considered enemies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2538, The Napoleonic Wars divide the nation Hamilton supported Britain; Jefferson supported France. Washington declared American neutrality. Find out on today's episode how the Napoleonic Wars divided the nation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2537, Differences over economics Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were at odds over the interpretation of the necessary and proper clause.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2536, Concerns over an energetic national government Hamilton and Jefferson disagreed about the power of the national government.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2534, Political parties: good or bad? Edmund Burke thought political parties were useful, but many Americans thought of parties as factions: divisive forces in the country.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2533, Factions in the American colonies There were lots of factions in the American colonies. Today we learn about some of them.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2532, The debate over factions James Madison thought the Constitution would limit the effects of factions; Alexander Hamilton thought factions were an evil to be eliminated from society.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2531, Arguments against judicial review Not everyone agreed with the concept of judicial review. This episodes examines some of their arguments.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2525, Arguments for a bill of rights There were many persuasive arguments for a bill of rights, but adoption of the U.S. Bill of Rights would have to wait until after ratification.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2523, More amendments Did you know that a Supreme Court decision once barred Congress from levying an income tax? It was overturned by the sixteenth amendment.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2522, Fundamental changes The Civil War Amendments and amendments that increased direct participation by citizens fundamentally changed the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2521, The Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights was proposed with 12 amendments; only 10 survived to become the Bill of Rights. One of the 12 became the Twenty-seventh Amendment.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2520, Twenty-seven amendments More than 11,000 amendments to the Constitution have been formally proposed, but only 27 have been adopted.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2519, How to amend the Constitution Amendments to the Constitution must be ratified either by state legislatures or special state conventions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2514, Protections of rights under the Constitution The Federalists fought hard to defend the Constitution against Anti-Federalist criticisms.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2513, Is the Constitution too complicated? Is the government created by the Constitution too complicated to get anything done? Madison argued that it was just complicated enough.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2511, The Constitution would not rely on civic virtue If civic virtue of citizens does not guarantee rights, what will? The Federalists thought they had the answer.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2510, Civic virtue cannot be relied upon Is civic virtue enough to allow a republic to survive? The Federalists said it wasn't.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2509, Survival in a large republic How could democracy survive in a large, diverse nation? James Madison thought he knew the answer.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2507, Republican government in a large and diverse nation Could America do what no large republic had done in history? Federalists thought so.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2140, The Philadelphia Convention, Part 4: Founders who did not attend the Philadelphia Convention Jefferson, Adams, Paine, Henry, and Hancock did not attend the Philadelphia Convention, but for different reasons.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2505, The Federalist The Federalist is considered by historians to be the most important work written to defend the new Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2504, Federalist strategy Federalist strategy was to hold state ratifying conventions as soon as possible so that Anti-Federalists would not have enough time to organize.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2502, Vague and general powers are dangerous The Anti-Federalists believed that the lack of a bill of rights in the Constitution would results in basic rights of the people being stripped away.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2500, Anti-Federalist criticisms of checks and balances It's our 2,500th episode! Today we learn about some powerful Anti-Federalist critiques of the system of checks and balances.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2499, Anti-Federalist arguments about the presidency and courts The Anti-Federalists argued that both the president and the federal courts would have too much power under the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2498, Anti-Federalist arguments about the power of Congress The Anti-Federalists were concerned that the Constitution gave too much power to Congress.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2497, Contributions of the Anti-Federalists Overall, George Washington felt that the Anti-Federalists had contributed to the country.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2496, Robert Yates Robert Yates wrote a series of Anti-Federalist essays explaining why the Constitution would not be the best form of government for the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2494, Benjamin Franklin on the Constitution Benjamin Franklin on the Constitution and the struggle for ratification in Massachusetts, on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2493, A nationwide debate The Federalists and Anti-Federalists engaged in a nationwide debate about ratification of the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2490, The ratification process begins The ratification process was consistent with social contract theory and the Declaration of Independence.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2489, We the People The plan for ratification of the Constitution was consistent with the idea of "We the People...do establish and ordain this Constitution."
60-Second Civics: Episode 2488, Ratification James Madison knew that all the states were unlikely to approve the new Constitution, but he thought of an alternative.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2487, Unresolved controversies at the Philadelphia Convention Today we learn about unresolved controversies at the Philadelphia Convention.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2484, A compromise over slavery The fugitive slave clause shows that the Framers intended slavery to be a state institution, and not a permanent one.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2483, The fugitive slave clause The fugitive slave clause shows that the Framers intended slavery to be a state institution, and not a permanent one.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2481, Why the word "slavery" does not appear in the Constitution The Framers were ashamed of slavery, and did not include the word in the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2477, Limitations on the power of the national government Today learn about habeas corpus, ex post facto laws, bills of attainder, and more.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2476, Powers of the national government over the states, Part 2 On today's podcast we explore more powers of the national government over the states.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2475, Powers of the national government over the states, Part 2 On today's podcast we explore more powers of the national government over the states.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2472, The power of war One of the most important powers in the Constitution, the power to wage and declare war, is shared by the president and Congress.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2471, The power to appoint executive officials and make treaties Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution lists important powers shared by Congress and the president.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2470, Separated and shared powers The Framers of the Constitution ensured that the branches of government had separated and shared powers.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2469, How judges should be selected Although the Framers agreed that judges should be independent, how judges should be selected was more controversial.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2468, The independence of the judicial branch The Framers of the Constitution took great care to ensure that the judicial branch remained independent.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2467, Agreement over the national judiciary The national judiciary was one area where the Framers of the Constitution substantially agreed.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2464, The Electoral College and the popular vote A presidential candidate can win the popular vote, but still lose the Electoral College vote.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2462, The perils of presidential selection The Framers of the Constitution did not approve direct election, but thought that indirect election was fraught with danger.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2461, How should we elect the president? The Framers of the Constitution were not generally in favor of having the president elected directly by the people.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2460, What kind of presidency should we have? The Framers of the Constitution originally proposed a 7-year term of office for the president.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2459, One chief executive The Framers agreed that it would be better to have one single chief executive rather than multiple executives.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2458, Three questions about the executive branch The Framers of the Constitution had to resolve three key issues about the nature of the executive branch.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2457, Alexander Hamilton on the executive branch Alexander Hamilton described the dilemma of the Framers in creating the office of the president, but James Wilson came to Philadelphia with a plan.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2456, Fear of executive power The Framers feared an executive branch that was too strong, but experience taught them that the executive should not be too weak.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2455, Compromises about the power of Congress The compromise between the Virginia and New Jersey plans sheds some light on the current powers of Congress.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2454, Congress designed to be a deliberative body Congress was not actually designed to pass legislation quickly. Find out why on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2453, Separated institutions sharing powers The Framers created a system that historian Richard Neustadt called "a government of separated institutions sharing powers."
60-Second Civics: Episode 2452, An imbalance of power leads to tyranny The American colonists believed that Parliament had been corrupted by the Crown.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2450, The Three-Fifths Compromise The Three-Fifths Compromise meant that three-fifths of enslaved people would be counted for purposes of representation in Congress, although the word "slaves" was never mentioned.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2449, Controversy over slavery and representation Delegates to the Philadelphia Convention argued about whether slaves were equal to free men for purposes of representation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2448, How should representation be decided? The delegates to the Philadelphia Convention debated whether slaves should be counted for purposes of representation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2444, Hamilton's plan fails Alexander Hamilton's plan for national government never gained any traction at the Philadelphia Convention.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2443, Alexander Hamilton's New York Plan Alexander Hamilton's plan for a national government featured a strong executive and weak states.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2442, The executive and judicial branches under the New Jersey Plan The New Jersey Plan featured an odd executive branch composed of several people appointed by Congress.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2440, Disagreement over representation in the Senate Debate raged at the Philadelphia Convention over proportional versus equal representation in the Senate.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2438, Proportional vs. equal representation The controversial idea of the Virginia Plan was that representation in the House and Senate should be based on population.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2437, The Pinckney Plan Today we learn about a little-known plan for government that was only rediscovered in the twentieth century.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2436, Congressional power under the Virginia Plan Congress would be much more powerful under the Virginia Plan than under the Articles of Confederation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2433, Madison does his homework James Madison we extremely well-prepared for the Philadelphia Convention. He isn't called the "Father of the Constitution" for nothing.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2432, The benefits of the Philadelphia Convention's rules The rules of the Philadelphia Convention had a purpose: to promote civil discourse.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2431, Secrecy at the Philadelphia Convention If it weren't for James Madison, we might not know the details of what happened at the Philadelphia Convention.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2430, Rules for the Philadelphia Convention There were many rules governing the Philadelphia Convention; most were for the sake of promoting civil discourse.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2429, Who did not attend the Philadelphia Convention? Jefferson, Adams, and Patrick Henry did not attend the Philadelphia Convention, but for different reasons.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2428, Roger Sherman at the Philadelphia Convention Roger Sherman attended nearly every session of the Philadelphia Convention and was instrumental in creating the Connecticut Compromise.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2427, Edmund Randolph at the Philadelphia Convention Edmund Randolph refused to sign the Constitution, but later campaigned for its ratification.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2425, James Wilson at the Philadelphia Convention James Wilson was born in Scotland. He was active in the Revolution, and led the ratification effort in Pennsylvania.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2424, Alexander Hamilton at the Philadelphia Convention Alexander Hamilton was outvoted by his fellow New Yorkers, but he campaigned hard for the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2423, Benjamin Franklin at the Philadelphia Convention Benjamin Franklin was 81 and in poor health at the Philadelphia Convention, but rarely missed a meeting.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2422, James Madison at the Philadelphia Convention Today we learn about James Madison, the brilliant and versatile "father of the Constitution."
60-Second Civics: Episode 2421, George Washington at the Philadelphia Convention George Washington was so respected that he was unanimously elected president of the Philadelphia Convention.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2416, Shays' Rebellion, Part 1 Angry farmers and a showdown with the government: Sound familiar? Except this rebellion happened in 1786.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2415, Debt and instability after the American Revolution An economic downturn in the mid-1780s led to a crisis in the early American republic.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2414, Economic consequences of the American Revolution The Revolutionary War had both good and bad consequences for the economy.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2413, Low turnout at the Annapolis Convention The Annapolis Convention was disappointing, but it did result in a call to amend the Articles of Confederation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2409, Treatment of loyalists after the American Revolution Some state governments refused to protect loyalists after the American Revolution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2407, Agreements with other nations under the Articles of Confederation International trade was particularly difficult under the Articles of Confederation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2406, Limited government power under the Articles Limiting the power of the national government too much turned out to be a disaster.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2403, Achievements under the Articles of Confederation Today we learn about some of the achievements of the national government under the Articles of Confederation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2402, Balancing power in the Articles of Confederation Learn how the Articles of Confederation resolved three key controversies on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2401, Three issues Three issues divided groups of states against each other during debates over the Articles of Confederation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2399, A firm league of friendship Today we learn how the Articles of Confederation created a "firm league of friendship" among the states rather than a strong central government.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2398, Government should be close to the people The Continental Congress realized that a strong central government was necessary, but they were wary of its power.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2397, Fear of a strong national government Writers of the Article of Confederation were wary of a strong national government.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2396, A plan for confederation Taxes, territory, and representation were contentious issues during debates over the Articles of Confederation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2393, State declarations of rights Find out on today's podcast some of the guarantees provided in state declarations of rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2392, The influence of the Virginia Declaration of Rights The Virginia Declaration of Rights was an influential document. Find out why on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2391, Rights in the Virginia Declaration of Rights On today's podcast we take a look at the rights in the Virginia Bill of Rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2387, Representation of different economic classes The representation of different economic classes in the Massachusetts constitution of 1780 contributed to political stability.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2386, A strong executive The Massachusetts constitution of 1780 featured a strong executive, unlike most state constitutions of the era.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2385, Massachusetts constitution of 1780 The Massachusetts constitution of 1780 had a structure that closely resembled that of the U.S. Constitution, but preceded it by seven years.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2384, Limits on legislative power State legislatures were powerful during and after the American Revolution, but there were checks on their power.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2381, Reasons for legislative supremacy Today we learn the reasons for the faith the framers of state constitutions had in legislative supremacy.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2380, Legislative supremacy Most state constitutions immediately following independence provided for legislative supremacy and majority rule.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2379, Social contract and voting State constitutions guaranteed the right to popular sovereignty, but not everyone got to vote.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2377, Free and independent states The Declaration of Independence proclaimed the colonies to be "Free and Independent States."
60-Second Civics: Episode 2376, The right to revolution The Declaration of Independence made a radical claim: that the people have a right to revolution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2375, Charges against the king The Declaration of Independence charged King George III of depriving the colonists of the rights he was supposed to protect.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2374, Human equality and government by consent Human equality and government by consent are two bedrock principles of the Declaration of Independence.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2372, The Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence was a radical document. Find out why on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2368, The First Continental Congress The Intolerable Acts were a step too far for the colonies. Delegates met in the First Continental Congress to coordinate resistance.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2367, The Intolerable Acts After the Tea Act, some colonists dressed like Mohawk indians and dumped tea into Boston Harbor. The Punitive Acts ensued, further fanning the flames of revolution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2366, John Adams and the Boston Massacre Before he was president, John Adams defended the soldiers accused of the Boston Massacre. He called it "one of the most gallant...actions of my whole life."
60-Second Civics: Episode 2365, The Boston Massacre On the night of March 5, 1770, a terrible event occurred that would be called "bloody butchery" by Samuel Adams. We know it today as the Boston Massacre.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2361, No taxation without representation Many Americans resisted new British taxes after the Seven Years' War. "No taxation without representation" became their rallying cry.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2359, The Stamp Act The Stamp Act was Parliament's first attempt to impose a direct, internal tax on the American colonies. It was reviled by the colonists.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2358, The Proclamation Act of 1763 The British Parliament once forbade settlement west of the Appalachians. It didn't have the welfare of Native Americans in mind, however.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2357, Salutary neglect The laissez-faire attitude of the British toward the colonies resulted in Americans becoming used to their freedoms.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2356, Parliament takes action to control the colonies The British Parliament took several steps to control the American colonies in the late 18th century.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2355, Increasing control of the colonies War debt compelled the British to increase control over the colonies. A bad move, as it turned out.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2353, The importance of property in colonial America In many American colonies, you had to own at least 50 acres of land to vote.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2350, Representative government in America Representative government was one of the most important developments in the American colonies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2349, Basic principles of colonial governments Colonists sought to protect their basic rights in their colonial constitutions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2348, Colonial innovations in government The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were an important step in American constitutionalism. Learn why on today's podcast.
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This site is brought to you by the Center for Civic Education. The Center's mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. The Center has reached more than 30 million students and their teachers since 1965. Learn more.