US government and civics
Learn how the U.S. government works and how you can make a difference in your community and the country.
13 units205 videos30 hours
Learn it live with a class on Puzzicle · Teachers: use it with your class
Unit 1: Foundations of American democracy
Why study government and civics?
How have democratic ideals shaped the U.S. government?
What are different types of democracy?
Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
How was the Constitution designed, debated, and ratified?
The Constitutional Convention ✓ Check-ins10:16
Constitutional compromises: The Electoral College ✓ Check-ins5:32
Constitutional compromises: The Three-Fifths Compromise ✓ Check-ins6:57
The impact of constitutional compromises on us today ✓ Check-ins8:26
Article V of the Constitution: Amendment Process ✓ Check-ins17:12
Article VI of the Constitution: Debts, Supremacy, Oaths, Religious Tests ✓ Check-ins13:52
Article VII of the Constitution: Ratification ✓ Check-ins17:13
How does the U.S. government balance power and individual rights?
What are key principles of American democracy?
How is power divided between states and the federal government?
What is federalism, and how does it work?
Federal and state powers and the Tenth and Fourteenth Amendments ✓ Check-ins4:41
The Tenth Amendment ✓ Check-ins16:37
Enumerated and implied powers of the federal government ✓ Check-ins6:03
McCulloch v. Maryland | Case facts ✓ Check-ins7:49
McCulloch v. Maryland ✓ Check-ins19:46
United States v. Lopez ✓ Check-ins4:59
How does federalism affect everyday life?
Unit 2: The legislative branch
What is the role of the legislative branch?
What are the powers of Congress?
How a bill becomes a law ✓ Check-ins10:37
The House of Representatives in comparison to the Senate ✓ Check-ins5:22
Senate filibusters, unanimous consent and cloture ✓ Check-ins6:42
Discretionary and mandatory outlays of the US federal government ✓ Check-ins6:24
Earmarks, pork barrel projects and logrolling ✓ Check-ins9:35
Unit 3: The executive branch
What are the roles and powers of the president?
How has presidential power changed over time?
Who checks the power of the president?
How does the president communicate with the public?
What is the federal bureaucracy?
How does the bureaucracy influence policy and society?
Unit 4: The judicial branch
What is the role of the judicial branch?
How does the judiciary maintain legitimacy in a democracy?
Who checks the power of the judicial branch?
Executive and legislative disagreements with the Supreme Court ✓ Check-ins6:02
Checks on the judicial branch ✓ Check-ins3:07
State checks on the judicial branch ✓ Check-ins6:45
Senate confirmation as a check on the judicial branch ✓ Check-ins3:50
Judicial activism and judicial restraint ✓ Check-ins8:18
Increased politicization of the Supreme Court ✓ Check-ins3:48
Unit 5: Protection of civil rights and liberties
What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights?
How does the First Amendment protect freedom of religion?
How does the Second Amendment protect individual rights?
How does the government balance liberty and public safety?
What is selective incorporation, and why does it matter?
How are the rights of the accused protected by the Constitution?
How is the right to privacy protected by the Constitution?
Unit 6: Citizenship
What does it mean to be a citizen?
What are the rights and responsibilities of citizenship?
How has the definition of citizenship changed over time?
Citizenship in early America, 1789-1830s ✓ Check-ins4:14
Citizenship in early America, 1840s-1870s ✓ Check-ins5:35
The Dred Scott case and citizenship ✓ Check-ins7:48
The 19th Amendment and citizenship ✓ Check-ins4:21
Citizenship in the US territories and District of Columbia ✓ Check-ins6:12
Citizenship and voting rights of indigenous people ✓ Check-ins5:00
What is the pathway to citizenship?
How can citizens shape and strengthen democracy?
Unit 7: Social movements
How have social movements expanded equal protection?
How has the government responded to social movements?
How does the government balance majority rule and minority rights?
What is affirmative action, and how does it impact society?
Unit 8: American political ideologies and beliefs
What shapes people’s beliefs about government and politics?
What is political socialization?
What factors influence political ideology?
How do the major political parties differ in ideology?
How do political beliefs shape views on the economy?
How do political beliefs shape views on society and culture?
Unit 9: Political participation
What are voting rights?
Who votes, and who doesn’t?
What roles do political parties play in U.S. politics?
How and why do political parties evolve?
What role do third parties play in U.S. politics?
How do interest groups influence government?
How is the president elected?
How are members of Congress elected?
How do we measure public opinion?
How does public opinion shape policy and campaigns?
What shapes modern political campaigns?
Who pays for political campaigns, and why does it matter?
Unit 10: Democracy today
How do state and local governments work?
How does the media shape our understanding of politics?
How has social media changed political participation?
How can we evaluate political information and spot misinformation?
Why does trust in government matter?
Unit 11: Government & civics with CBS's John Dickerson
Why it matters
Sal Khan & John Dickerson: introduction ✓ Check-ins1:09
Why study US history, government, and civics? ✓ Check-ins1:48
Why do midterm congressional elections matter? ✓ Check-ins1:10
Why does your vote matter? ✓ Check-ins3:12
How does voter turnout in midterms compare to presidential elections? ✓ Check-ins1:15
Does the president's party usually gain or lose seats at the midterm elections? ✓ Check-ins1:31
Who is the Speaker of the House? ✓ Check-ins0:43
Why is the Speaker of the House second in succession to the President? ✓ Check-ins1:36
What was the Articles of Confederation? ✓ Check-ins5:20
What was the Gilded Age? ✓ Check-ins7:45
What has changed
Changes to the role of the presidency ✓ Check-ins5:19
The media and partisanship ✓ Check-ins6:05- Increased politicization of the Supreme Court ✓ Check-ins3:48
How have congressional elections changed over time? ✓ Check-ins3:13
How has the position of Speaker of the House changed over time? ✓ Check-ins1:38
Presidential history
Why was George Washington the first president? ✓ Check-ins6:39
Why was Reagan's presidency so significant? ✓ Check-ins1:20
How did Reagan's policies affect the economy? ✓ Check-ins1:38
How have Reagan's policies affected the government? ✓ Check-ins1:48
Which Reagan policies are still debated today? ✓ Check-ins1:17
Unit 12: The National Constitution Center
The Constitution
The Preamble to the Constitution ✓ Check-ins14:55
Article I of the Constitution: The Legislative Branch ✓ Check-ins13:23
Article II of the Constitution: The Executive Branch ✓ Check-ins17:47
Article III of the Constitution: The Judicial Branch ✓ Check-ins16:57
Article IV of the Constitution: States, Citizenship, New States ✓ Check-ins13:59- Article V of the Constitution: Amendment Process ✓ Check-ins17:12
- Article VI of the Constitution: Debts, Supremacy, Oaths, Religious Tests ✓ Check-ins13:52
- Article VII of the Constitution: Ratification ✓ Check-ins17:13
The Bill of Rights
The First Amendment ✓ Check-ins16:14
The Second Amendment ✓ Check-ins16:46
The Third Amendment ✓ Check-ins14:29
The Fourth Amendment ✓ Check-ins14:13
The Fifth Amendment ✓ Check-ins14:36
The Fifth Amendment - takings clause ✓ Check-ins12:43
The Sixth Amendment ✓ Check-ins16:03
The Seventh Amendment ✓ Check-ins14:01
The Eighth Amendment ✓ Check-ins20:25
The Ninth Amendment ✓ Check-ins15:15- The Tenth Amendment ✓ Check-ins16:37
Unadopted amendments to the Bill of Rights ✓ Check-ins16:39
Landmark Supreme Court cases
Marbury v. Madison ✓ Check-ins17:03- McCulloch v. Maryland ✓ Check-ins19:46
Dred Scott v. Sandford ✓ Check-ins18:43
Plessy v. Ferguson ✓ Check-ins18:39
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka ✓ Check-ins16:51
Baker v. Carr ✓ Check-ins16:46
Miranda v. Arizona ✓ Check-ins15:18
Roe v. Wade ✓ Check-ins13:52
McDonald v. Chicago ✓ Check-ins15:31
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ✓ Check-ins19:15
Unit 13: American civics
American civics
PPACA or "Obamacare" ✓ Check-ins7:14
The fiscal cliff ✓ Check-ins12:02
More fiscal cliff analysis ✓ Check-ins15:20
The Electoral College ✓ Check-ins11:10
Sal teaches Grover about the electoral college ✓ Check-ins3:37
Primaries and caucuses ✓ Check-ins8:13
Deficit and debt ceiling ✓ Check-ins9:57
Government's financial condition ✓ Check-ins10:32
Social security intro ✓ Check-ins6:29
FICA tax ✓ Check-ins7:30
Medicare sustainability ✓ Check-ins7:52
SOPA and PIPA ✓ Check-ins11:15
Pension obligations ✓ Check-ins10:07
Illinois pension obligations ✓ Check-ins7:30
Introduction to the FAFSA ✓ Check-ins10:05
History of the Democratic Party ✓ Check-ins15:54
History of the Republican Party ✓ Check-ins11:27
Constitutional powers of the president ✓ Check-ins14:10
Presidential precedents of George Washington ✓ Check-ins9:41
The President as Commander-in-Chief ✓ Check-ins10:37
Expansion of presidential power ✓ Check-ins11:25- Why was George Washington the first president? ✓ Check-ins6:39
Learn this with a class
With a class on Puzzicle this course runs as a timetable of live study parties: your batch watches together and answers the check-ins, sometimes with a teacher leading.
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