Constitution 101
Created in collaboration with the National Constitution Center, with support from the Yass Foundation, Constitution 101 will help you build a strong understanding of the U.S. Constitution, developments in constitutional law, and key historical documents.
9 units273 videos19 hours
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Unit 1: Civil Dialogue, The Constitution, and Constitutional Interpretation
Why Have a Civil Dialogue?
Welcome to Constitution 101 ✓ Check-ins2:36
Why Have Civil Dialogue? | Constitution 101 ✓ Check-ins5:43
Justice Stephen Breyer on Civil Dialogue at the Supreme Court4:42
Why is it important to engage in civil dialogue? ✓ Check-ins2:07
Why is it important to avoid cynicism? ✓ Check-ins1:08
Why should young people learn about the Constitution?1:16
The Original Constitution
Amending the Constitution
The 27 Amendments
Methods of Constitutional Interpretation
Unit 2: Principles of the American Revolution: The Ideas and Events That Led to Change
The Declaration of Independence
Classical and Enlightenment Thinkers
The Divine Right of Kings and Social Contract Theory
Principles of the American Revolution: Natural Rights, Popular Sovereignty, and the Rule of Law
What did the founders mean by natural rights? ✓ Check-ins3:46
Why were natural rights important to the founders? ✓ Check-ins2:43
What is popular sovereignty? ✓ Check-ins1:51
Where did the founders get the idea of popular sovereignty?4:24
Where did the founders get the idea of the rule of law? ✓ Check-ins2:59
What is the rule of law? ✓ Check-ins2:45
Why does the rule of law matter today? ✓ Check-ins3:41
Principles of the American Revolution: Equality, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
What did the Declaration of Independence mean by "created equal?" ✓ Check-ins2:06
What does the Declaration of Independence mean by "liberty?" ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip2:20
What did the Declaration mean by the "pursuit of happiness?" ✓ Check-ins2:32
Why did the founders think that virtue was so important to the success of a republic? ✓ Check-ins2:18
What's the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and slavery? ✓ Check-ins1:49
The Reasons for the Revolution
Why did the American colonists fight the American Revolution? ✓ Check-ins6:12
Why was the Stamp Act an important part of the story of the American Revolution? ✓ Check-ins4:03
Was the Boston Massacre a turning point in the road to the American Revolution? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip3:49
Why was the Boston Tea Party an important part in the story of the American Revolution? ✓ Check-ins5:19
How did the British respond to the Boston Tea Party? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip4:42
How do the colonists get from the Coercive Acts to Revolution? ✓ Check-ins4:31
How did Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" shape the American Revolution? ✓ Check-ins3:01
What did the Declaration of Independence say about natural rights? ✓ Check-ins1:37
Unit 3: The Road to Reform, the Constitutional Convention, and the Battle for Ratification
The Road to Reform, the Constitutional Convention, and the Threat of Mob Violence
The Road to the Convention, "The Quartet," and the Push for Reform
Who were the key founders who pushed for a new constitution?4:06
What was George Washington’s vision for America? ✓ Check-ins3:38
How did James Madison prepare for the Constitutional Convention? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip5:01
How did James Madison argue that the U.S. Constitution would keep America peaceful and safe?1:29
Introduction to the Constitutional Convention
The Constitutional Convention | Constitution 10111:13
Would the U.S. Constitution have surprised the American revolutionaries of 1776? ✓ Check-ins2:27
Why was it important for Ben Franklin & George Washington to attend the Constitutional Convention? ✓ Check-ins1:27
What was George Washington’s role at the Constitutional Convention? ✓ Check-ins1:56
What was the founders’ broad vision for the U.S. Constitution? ✓ Check-ins4:20
The Compromises at the Convention: The Great Compromise and the Electoral College
A Compromise with Evil: Slavery at the Constitutional Convention
The Close of the Convention: Benjamin Franklin's Closing Speech and the Dissenters
The Battle Over Ratification and the Importance of Compromise
Unit 4: The Bill of Rights
Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights | Constitution 101 ✓ Check-ins16:38
Why didn't the framers add a bill of rights at the Constitutional Convention? ✓ Check-ins1:42
How did the Anti-Federalists influence the creation of the Bill of Rights? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip8:14
How did Thomas Jefferson influence James Madison's views about the importance of a bill of rights? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip2:44
What were some of the key debates over the framing of the Bill of Rights? ✓ Check-ins9:17
First Amendment: Five Freedoms
First Amendment: Religion—Overview
First Amendment: Religion—Establishment Clause
First Amendment: Religion—Free Exercise Clause
First Amendment Religion Clauses—Part II8:37
What did free exercise rights look like at the Founding? ✓ Check-ins2:49
How does the Supreme Court address free exercise challenges today? ✓ Check-ins1:31
What did the Supreme Court say in Reynolds v. United States? ✓ Check-ins3:05
What did the Supreme Court say in Wisconsin v. Yoder?1:30
What did the Supreme Court say in Employment Division v. Smith? ✓ Check-ins1:34
What’s the relationship between free exercise rights and anti-discrimination laws? ✓ Check-ins1:48
First Amendment: Speech and Press
First Amendment: Speech and Press—Modern Cases and Debates
When did the Supreme Court begin to strongly protect the right to free speech and a free press? ✓ Check-ins2:40
How does the Supreme Court analyze free speech and press issues today? ✓ Check-ins3:59
What did the Supreme Court say in West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette? ✓ Check-ins2:11
What did the Supreme Court say in New York Times v. Sullivan? ✓ Check-ins1:54
What did the Supreme Court say in New York Times Co. v. United States (the Pentagon Papers case)? ✓ Check-ins3:10
What did the Supreme Court say about flag burning in Texas v. Johnson? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip3:33
What is the value of a free press to a democracy? ✓ Check-ins1:46
First Amendment: Assembly and Petition
What is the First Amendment right to assembly? ✓ Check-ins1:51
What are the limits to the right to assemble? ✓ Check-ins2:47
Why did the Founding generation think that we needed the Petition Clause? ✓ Check-ins3:36
What role did petitioning play in early America? ✓ Check-ins6:45
What role did petitioning play in the fight for women’s rights and the abolition of slavery? ✓ Check-ins7:03
How is the petition right used today? ✓ Check-ins3:17
Second Amendment: Text and History
What did the Second Amendment say? ✓ Check-ins1:57
Why did the Founding generation think that we needed the Second Amendment? ✓ Check-ins1:59
What did the term “militia” mean at the Founding? ✓ Check-ins2:43
What did the founders mean by a “standing army"?1:55
What does the story of Reconstruction teach us about the Second Amendment? ✓ Check-ins2:17
Second Amendment: Modern Cases and Debates
What did the Supreme Court say in District of Columbia v. Heller? ✓ Check-ins3:43
What did the Supreme Court say in District of Columbia v. Heller? ✓ Check-ins2:47
What does Justice Scalia's majority opinion in Heller teach us about the limits of 2nd Amendment rights? ✓ Check-ins1:32
What did the Supreme Court say in McDonald v. City of Chicago? ✓ Check-ins2:03
What did the Supreme Court say in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen? ✓ Check-ins4:05
Fourth Amendment: Text, History, and the Legal Framework
What does the Fourth Amendment say? ✓ Check-ins1:13
What is the warrant requirement? ✓ Check-ins3:48
What are some of the exceptions to the warrant requirement recognized by the Supreme Court? ✓ Check-ins3:18
How has the Supreme Court applied the Fourth Amendment in the context of automobiles? ✓ Check-ins5:00
What is the exclusionary rule? ✓ Check-ins4:56
What did the Supreme Court say about “stop and frisk” searches in Terry v. Ohio? ✓ Check-ins3:56
How does the Fourth Amendment apply in public schools? ✓ Check-ins1:03
The Fourth Amendment and Technology
Sixth Amendment
Unit 5: Separation of Powers and Federalism
Introduction to the Separation of Powers
Separation of Powers: Key Thinkers
Why was Montesquieu important to the founders? ✓ Check-ins1:46
What role did civic virtue play in Montesquieu’s vision? ✓ Check-ins3:03
What was the constitutional vision of John Adams? ✓ Check-ins1:58
How did the founders envision politics working under the U.S. Constitution? ✓ Check-ins4:03
How does modern party politics challenge the founders’ vision for the U.S. Constitution? ✓ Check-ins1:29
What are the dangers of excessive partisanship?2:23
Federalism
What is federalism? ✓ Check-ins1:19
Constitution Hall Pass: Federalism ✓ Check-ins10:17
How does federalism structure our nation’s politics? ✓ Check-ins4:41
What did Justice Louis Brandeis mean by his famous vision of states as laboratories of democracy? ✓ Check-ins3:17
How does federalism check those in power?1:40
Federalism: The Constitution’s Text and Structure
What are examples of federalism in the U.S. Constitution? ✓ Check-ins1:34
How does the Constitution limit the powers of government? ✓ Check-ins1:43
How was power divided between the national government and the states at the founding? ✓ Check-ins1:44
What were the competing constitutional visions of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson? ✓ Check-ins1:37
What does the Tenth Amendment say? ✓ Check-ins2:00
Federalism: Examples Throughout American History
What was it like being governor of Florida? ✓ Check-ins2:52
How did the suffragists use federalism to secure the right to vote for women? ✓ Check-ins2:01
What does the Elections Clause say about the role of the national government in voting?2:08
What did the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about federalism today? ✓ Check-ins4:58
Unit 6: The Three Branches of Government
Legislative Branch—Text and History
Congress—The Founders' Vision and Congress Today
Congress—Debates Over Congressional Power
Executive Branch—The Founders' Vision
Article II The Executive Branch | Constitution 101 ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip17:35
What were the founders' different visions for the presidency? ✓ Check-ins3:23
What was the founders’ vision for the presidency? ✓ Check-ins1:39
What was Alexander Hamilton’s vision for the presidency? ✓ Check-ins1:22
Why was George Washington important to the founders’ vision of the presidency? ✓ Check-ins2:26
How did George Washington shape the presidency? ✓ Check-ins3:10
Executive Branch—The Scope and Limits of Presidential Power
Presidency—Executive Orders and the Administrative State
Where does the president get the power to issue executive orders? ✓ Check-ins2:07
When can the president use executive orders? ✓ Check-ins1:52
What role does the attorney general play in the government?1:44
What happened in Korematsu v. United States? ✓ Check-ins4:57
What is the “administrative state?” ✓ Check-ins1:33
What are some of the key constitutional debates over the administrative state? ✓ Check-ins2:42
Presidency—The Use of Military Force and the President's Power Over Foreign Affairs
Presidency—The Electoral College
How does the Electoral College work? ✓ Check-ins1:04
What was the founders’ vision for the Electoral College? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip2:08
Why didn’t the founders choose to select the president through a national popular vote? ✓ Check-ins3:45
Why did the founders create the Electoral College? ✓ Check-ins2:23
How has the Electoral College changed over time? ✓ Check-ins2:18
What can we learn from the election of 1800? ✓ Check-ins7:59
What are faithless electors? ✓ Check-ins1:27
Judicial Branch—Text and History
Overview of the Federal Judiciary
How does a case work its way through the federal court system?1:46
Why is it valuable for cases to work their way up the court system? ✓ Check-ins2:28
What is it like to be a judge? ✓ Check-ins2:33
How does a case end up at the Supreme Court? ✓ Check-ins2:58
Why does the Supreme Court choose to hear a case? ✓ Check-ins1:48
How do Supreme Court oral arguments work? ✓ Check-ins1:35
What is it like to argue before the Supreme Court? ✓ Check-ins3:55
Unit 7: America’s Second Founding: Slavery, the Civil War, Emancipation, and Reconstruction
Slavery: An Overview
Pre-Civil War Debates Over Slavery
How did the Louisiana Purchase and the Missouri Compromise shape early debates over slavery? ✓ Check-ins5:42
How did the anti-slavery movement use the Declaration of Independence to attack slavery? ✓ Check-ins3:47
Is the Constitution a pro-slavery or anti-slavery document? ✓ Check-ins5:54
Who was Phillis Wheatley? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip1:36
Who was David Walker? ✓ Check-ins1:18
Why was Frederick Douglass an important figure in the fight against slavery? ✓ Check-ins4:00
The Road to the Civil War
How did the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act reshape the debates over slavery? ✓ Check-ins6:09
What were the final events that led to Southern secession and the Civil War? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip4:36
The Dred Scott Decision Featuring Justice Neil M. Gorsuch ✓ Check-ins3:04
How did Abraham Lincoln root his anti-slavery politics in America’s founding? ✓ Check-ins3:45
Was Southern secession unconstitutional? ✓ Check-ins6:32
The Civil War and Emancipation
What is the constitutional legacy of the Civil War?1:07
What were the debates over President Lincoln’s use of presidential power during the Civil War? ✓ Check-ins6:51
The Emancipation Proclamation: A Clip From FOURTEEN2:30
What's the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? ✓ Check-ins2:07
Why is President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address important? ✓ Check-ins2:35
Reconstruction: An Overview
What was Reconstruction? ✓ Check-ins1:21
What is the constitutional legacy of Reconstruction? ✓ Check-ins1:42
What powers did the Reconstruction Amendments grant to the national government? ✓ Check-ins1:46
Women of Reconstruction: Susie King Taylor, Harriet Jacobs, and Frances Ellen Watkins Harper ✓ Check-ins3:54
The Black Codes: A Clip From FOURTEEN4:27
What divided President Johnson and the Republican Congress at the height of Reconstruction? ✓ Check-ins5:02
Reconstruction: The Thirteenth Amendment
What were the constitutional debates over slavery before the Civil War? ✓ Check-ins5:20
Why did President Lincoln and his Republican allies push for the Thirteenth Amendment? ✓ Check-ins2:17
Why is the Thirteenth Amendment important? ✓ Check-ins2:25
What is the importance of the “criminal exception” language in the Thirteenth Amendment? ✓ Check-ins2:55
Reconstruction: The Fourteenth Amendment
Scholars Edition: Eric Foner, 14th Amendment ✓ Check-ins6:53
Scholars Edition: Tomiko Brown Nagin, 14th Amendment ✓ Check-ins2:52
Why did the Reconstruction Republicans push for the Fourteenth Amendment? ✓ Check-ins2:42
The 39th Congress Debates: A Clip From FOURTEEN5:56
Who was John Bingham? ✓ Check-ins6:35
Reconstruction: The Fifteenth Amendment
Unit 8: The Fourteenth Amendment: Citizenship, Freedom, and Equality
The Fourteenth Amendment: An Overview
Birthright Citizenship
What is the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? ✓ Check-ins2:31
What is the national government’s role in immigration? ✓ Check-ins2:06
What role did African Americans play in the push for equal citizenship rights? ✓ Check-ins2:15
Why have so many immigrants sought out new lives in America? | Francis Ford Coppola ✓ Check-ins1:22
Why have so many immigrants sought out new lives in America? | Fareed Zakaria ✓ Check-ins3:57
Why have so many immigrants sought out new lives in America? | Judge Stephanos Bibas ✓ Check-ins0:55
Protection of Freedom: Incorporation
How did the Fourteenth Amendment and the process of incorporation transform the Bill of Rights? ✓ Check-ins ✎ Fixed a slip2:29
Why is incorporation an important part of America’s constitutional story? ✓ Check-ins4:13
Selective incorporation ✓ Check-ins3:13
What does the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause say? ✓ Check-ins2:35
What is the Privileges or Immunities Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment? ✓ Check-ins3:02
Protection of Freedom: Unenumerated Rights
Equal Protection: African Americans
Equal Protection: Women
The Fourteenth Amendment—Sexual Orientation
Unit 9: Elections and Voting Rights: From the Founding through the Civil Rights Movement
Elections and Voting: An Overview
Voting Rights | Constitution 101 ✓ Check-ins15:20
What does the Constitution say about voting? ✓ Check-ins2:04
Why were some groups denied the right to vote in the Founding Era? ✓ Check-ins1:29
How did constitutional amendments transform the right to vote in America? ✓ Check-ins2:03
What does the Elections Clause say? ✓ Check-ins1:03
How Women Won the Vote
America's Experiment in Interracial Democracy
The Battle for Voting Rights
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Modern Debates over Elections and Voting Rights: Part I
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