This series is a multi-media project that explores the Constitution and its role in the American story -- from its creation, to the crises that challenged and reshaped it, to contemporary debates over rights and the role of government.
Episode # 102
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.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
Episode # 102
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.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
Episode # 103
The high ideals of the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal" didn't make it into the Constitution in 1787. It took three-quarters of a century, and a bloody civil war, before the Fourteenth Amendment of 1868 made equality a constitutional right and gave the federal government the power to enforce it. The far-reaching changes created by that amendment established new notions of citizenship, equal protection, due process and personal liberty. Today, those notions are being used to fight for same-sex marriage, voting rights, affirmative action and immigration reform.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
Episode # 103
The high ideals of the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal" didn't make it into the Constitution in 1787. It took three-quarters of a century, and a bloody civil war, before the Fourteenth Amendment of 1868 made equality a constitutional right and gave the federal government the power to enforce it. The far-reaching changes created by that amendment established new notions of citizenship, equal protection, due process and personal liberty. Today, those notions are being used to fight for same-sex marriage, voting rights, affirmative action and immigration reform.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
Episode # 104
In this last episode, Sagal travels to Iceland, where after the country's economic collapse, leaders decided to create a new constitution, looking to the U.S. Constitution for inspiration. This prompts Sagal to consider why our own founding document has lasted more than 225 years. He looks at the systems that have kept the Constitution healthy - amendments, judicial interpretation, checks and balances - and also at the political forces that threaten to undermine the framers' vision: excessive partisanship leading to gridlock, money in politics and gerrymandering.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
Episode # 104
In this last episode, Sagal travels to Iceland, where after the country's economic collapse, leaders decided to create a new constitution, looking to the U.S. Constitution for inspiration. This prompts Sagal to consider why our own founding document has lasted more than 225 years. He looks at the systems that have kept the Constitution healthy - amendments, judicial interpretation, checks and balances - and also at the political forces that threaten to undermine the framers' vision: excessive partisanship leading to gridlock, money in politics and gerrymandering.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
Episode # 104
In this last episode, Sagal travels to Iceland, where after the country's economic collapse, leaders decided to create a new constitution, looking to the U.S. Constitution for inspiration. This prompts Sagal to consider why our own founding document has lasted more than 225 years. He looks at the systems that have kept the Constitution healthy - amendments, judicial interpretation, checks and balances - and also at the political forces that threaten to undermine the framers' vision: excessive partisanship leading to gridlock, money in politics and gerrymandering.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
09:00 PM
Episode # 101
Sagal explores the Constitution's most striking and innovative feature: its resilient brand of federalism. The framers created a strong national government while preserving much of the power and independence of the states. This delicate balance of power, seemingly hard-wired for disagreement and conflict, has served America well for more than two centuries. But it has also led to tensions throughout American history and still sparks controversy today over medical marijuana, gun control and "Obamacare."
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
Length : 56 min
MPT
