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Branches of government Core curriculum video libraries (Cambridge educational (Firm)) Core curriculum video library Equal justice under the law (New York, N.Y.) Law and Order: An Inside View of the Criminal Justice System Liberty and limits Politics as usual? The people and the power game Your government--how it worksFilter By Subjects
Constitutional history United States Constitutional law United States History Courts United States Democracy United States Legislation United States Public policy United States Constitution United States Economic conditions United States History 21st century United States Politics and governmentFilter By Series
Branches of government Core curriculum video libraries (Cambridge educational (Firm)) Core curriculum video library Equal justice under the law (New York, N.Y.) Law and Order: An Inside View of the Criminal Justice System Liberty and limits Politics as usual? The people and the power game Your government--how it worksSummary: This program deciphers the legislative process by explaining how an idea metamorphoses into a law. In interviews, prominent legislators and lobbyists explain how a bill is conceived, moved through the House and Senate or killed in committee, amended, prepared for a vote, and sent for the President or Governor's signature.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: This fast-paced and informative program shows students how the Constitution established the Executive Branch, and provided for the separation of powers and the relationship of the Executive Branch to the Legislative and Judicial Branches of the federal and state government. Specific roles of the Chief Executive are defined such as Commander-in-Chief, Foreign Policy Director, Legislative Leader,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: America's unions have bet on Barack Obama to initiate a recovery that will revive not only the economy, but the organized labor movement as well. In this program, Bill Moyers and United Steelworkers International's Leo Gerard address topics ranging from economic justice for workers, to the future of American manufacturing, to Gerard's hopes for how unions will fare under the Obama...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: How far can a President go to defend the nation? This program examines the unprecedented presidential power that some say has been amassed by the Bush administration-and wielded, often secretly, in the name of national security. Bill Moyers gets perspective from two experts on the limits and abuses of federal power: Charles Fried, who teaches Constitutional law at Harvard Law School and served...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program explores the history and anatomy of the ongoing political debate over the idea of shifting power and authority from the federal government to the states and individuals. The program goes back to the founding of the country and examines the split between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton over how much power the federal government should have, through the Civil War, to the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: This program focuses on the Judicial Branch and its role in government. The Supreme Court's decisions concerning school desegregation, school prayers, abortion, prison overcrowding, the death penalty, and the rights of criminal defendants are explored. Students see how the Court's decisions affect their daily lives, how it resolves disputes without bloodshed, how it interprets our laws and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Was the inauguration of Barack Obama a progressive moment? In this edition of the Journal, Bill Moyers talks with political columnist and blogger David Sirota and The Wall Street Journal's Thomas Frank about expectations of the new administration and what must be accomplished for Obama to be considered a progressive President. Then, Moyers sits down with Columbia law professor and Nation...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: The 535 elected U.S. Senators and Representatives carry with them the desires and opinions of over 200 million Americans. Congress is often accused of being out of touch with the people-but what does the system demand of them? Is there enough time in the day to satisfy all of the varied interests and mandates of the job? This program explores the world through the eyes of those we elect. From...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Moderated by Harvard Law School's Charles Nesson, this Fred Friendly Seminar focuses on the tension between the President and Congress during a policy crisis in the fictional European country of Nukraine, involving issues such as the power to wage war, conduct diplomacy, and operate in secrecy, as well as the media's responsibilities in matters of national security. Panelists include U.S....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Congressman, senator, presidential candidate, and author-Eugene McCarthy was all of these, and one of the most progressive public figures of the twentieth century as well. This program offers a fascinating glimpse into the Senator's life, personality, and thinking. In interviews recorded during the last decade of his life, McCarthy muses on a wide range of subjects-from his early years in...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: In an adversarial climate of polarization and power confrontations, how can the U.S. government get anything done? In part one of this program, correspondent Hedrick Smith examines the obstacles to bipartisan compromise between the Clinton administration and Congress as well as the difficulties parties have in disciplining their own members in Congress. In part two, Mr. Smith probes the rise...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Congress plays a vital role in hammering out the policies that shape everyday life. Why then do so many Americans feel that it exists in a world of its own, out of touch with the very constituencies that elected them in the first place? This program scrutinizes the political landscape through the eyes of America's elected elite, presenting firsthand what politicians really do-and endure-both in...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: The United States Congress is among the most influential political bodies in the world. While it adheres steadfastly to many procedures and traditions, Congress is nonetheless a markedly different institution today than might have been envisioned by our Founding Fathers. This program examines how the legislative branch of the government has evolved, exploring the intended purpose of Congress...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: How has the Supreme Court reinforced the Constitution's requirement for a strong federal government? Can the states interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government? This unpopular decision dealt a blow to states' rights by reaffirming the validity of the federal government to charter a bank (in Maryland) and striking down the state's attempts to tax this federally...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Who determines what the Constitution means: the Supreme Court, Congress, or the President? This 1803 case established the judiciary's authority to interpret the Constitution. Marshall's insistence on the principle of "judicial review" of acts of Congress brought him into conflict with President Thomas Jefferson, but established the court's responsibility.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: In this program, various legal experts explain pretrial and trial procedures, pointing out along the way differences in juvenile proceedings. Judges and lawyers navigate the pretrial process, beginning with the establishment of probable cause and formal charging by grand jury. Indictment, pretrial release, bail, and arraignment are also discussed. Such concepts as an alibi, burden of proof, and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: In November of 2006, Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts sat down with ABC News legal correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg for his first network television interview-which happened to take place before 3,600 spectators at the University of Miami. This ABC News program documents that conversation, presenting Roberts' behind-the-scenes story of his nomination and offering a glimpse of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Does the Constitution give the states or Congress the right to regulate commerce? In 1818, a steamboat was ordered to leave New York waters because it had no license to operate within the state. In this case, the Marshall court ruled that the federal government did have the power to regulate commerce and in so doing laid the foundation for a unified American common market.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2007
View online at AVOD
Summary: Every year there are approximately 120,000 jury trials in the United States. The right to trial by jury is guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. This video explores the origins of the jury trial, explains the jury's crucial role in our judicial system, and introduces students to the courtroom and the process of a trial. The program is divided into the following sections: The History of Jury...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Interweaving the history of a nearly 70-year-old institution with the challenges it faces in the post-9/11 world, this program goes inside the Pentagon, America's military center of gravity. Along its echoing corridors, some 23,000 people are absorbed in countless different tasks. But entering the concentric gem-shaped building entails more than peering into offices and computer banks. Viewers...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
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Summary: Is an imperial presidency destroying what America stands for? In this episode of the Journal, Bill Moyers sits down with retired U.S. Army Colonel Andrew J. Bacevich, who identifies three major problems facing American democracy-crises of economy, government, and militarism-and calls for a redefinition of the American way of life. Respected by Republicans and Democrats alike, Bacevich is author...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Many equate it with the Presidency, but the Executive branch of our government is far more complex than that. Containing departments and agencies that directly affect the health, safety, security, and prosperity of the American public, the Executive branch is an administrative mountain with the White House at its peak. This program expands on that description, familiarizing students with the...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Although the office of the President personifies American leadership, the Legislative branch was actually designed to hold at least as much power as the Executive, if not more. Many Founding Fathers envisioned Congress as the primary governing body, given its closeness, politically speaking, to the people. This program examines the origins, history, and activities of the U.S. House of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Part of the Ken Burns America Collection, this incisive documentary profiles our government's legislative branch. Narrated by David McCullough, the program uses historic footage and interviews with veteran political observers-including David Broder, Alistair Cooke, and Cokie Roberts-to detail the first 200 years of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Incorporating readings from diary...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 1988