Join In! The Rise of Self-Governance and American Organizing From the Mayflower Compact to the Modern Day

Does the Constitution have what it takes to keep up with modern America? Join Peter Sagal as he hits the road to find out. Traveling across the country by motorcycle, Sagal is in search of where the U.S. Constitution lives, how it works and how it doesn't ... how it unites us as a nation and how it has nearly torn us apart. Part One: Ask Americans what the Constitution's most important feature is and most will say it's the guarantees of liberty enshrined in the Bill of Rights. In this episode, Sagal explores the history of the Bill of Rights and addresses several stories -- ripped from the headlines -- involving freedom of speech, freedom of religion and right to privacy.

In which John Green teaches you about founding father and third president of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is a somewhat controversial figure in American history, largely because he, like pretty much all humans, was a big bundle of contradictions. Jefferson was a slave-owner who couldn't decide if he liked slavery. He advocated for small government, but expanded federal power more than either of his presidential predecessor. He also idealized the independent farmer and demonized manufacturing, but put policies in place that would expand industrial production in the US. Controversy may ensue as we try to deviate a bit from the standard hagiography/slander story that usually told about old TJ. John explores Jefferson's election, his policies, and some of the new nation's (literally and figuratively) formative events that took place during Jefferson's presidency. In addition to all this, Napoleon drops in to sell Louisiana, John Marshall sets the course of the Supreme Court, and John Adams gets called a tiny tyrant.

The political leaders and choices they made that have undermined and threatened American democracy. How officials fed lies about the 2020 election and embraced rhetoric that led to political violence.

In American history, no document has sparked as much reverence, discussion, and controversy as the Constitution. But how does it really affect our everyday lives? Join Bill Moyers for this eleven-part series, originally produced to mark the Constitution's bicentennial, that delves into the fascinating history and contemporary relevance of the ultimate law of the land.

In an event hosted by the Heritage Foundation, participants examined the Mayflower Compact and other new laws the settlers agreed upon when they arrived in 1620. The panelists discussed the basis for these laws and their relationship to America’s founding documents. The Heritage Foundation provided the video for this event.

An introductory video on the Mayflower Compact.

Follow the pursuit of democracy from the Revolutionary War through recurring cycles of civil rights progress and backlash, the 2021 Capitol riot and beyond. Explore the impact of voter rights and a civics curriculum on engaged and informed citizens.

The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and The Bill of Rights represent much more than the words used by America's Founding Fathers to define a fragile, nascent country. They're the living, breathing realization of America's democratic ideal, the bedrock of a society that its people have built over nearly two-and-a-half centuries, and they provide a blueprint that is, was and will be a template for democracy around the world.To celebrate these iconic documents on our nation's birthday, HBO presents a 45-minute special, directed by Alexandra Pelosi and narrated by David McCullough (John Adams), in which dozens of Americans - from actors and media personalities, to politicians, lawmakers and presidents, to schoolchildren whose future is being shaped by our shared past - read the three founding documents that define our outlook on life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.