Curated Video
The Burning of the White House
When British troops set the White House alight during the War of 1812, White House staff rallied to save its contents, including a priceless work of art that survives to this day.
Curated Video
Tammany Hall: Controlling New York Politics
It is the historic New York building that is synonymous with greed, crime and corruption, but what is the true story behind Tammany Hall?
Curated Video
Shirley Chisholm: Confronting the Political Machine
As the first Black woman elected to Congress, Shirley Chisholm made history in her lifelong struggle to empower minorities and change the United States.
Curated Video
Separation of Powers
The U.S. federal government consists of three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial. Each one has a distinct role, ensuring a balance of power that protects the institution.
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Oath of Allegiance
Taking the Oath of Allegiance is an important part of the U.S. Citizenship Test. But what new duties and responsibilities do people swear to uphold?
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Integrity: Schechter Brothers
In the 1930s, Jewish butchers the Schechter brothers showed integrity when they fought what they felt were unjust regulations, in order to uphold their faith and customer trust.
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Hoovervilles: Shantytowns of the Great Depression
As the Great Depression worsened in the 1930s, thousands of Americans lost their jobs and eventually their homes. Shantytowns dubbed “Hoovervilles” named after unsympathetic President Herbert Hoover, spread across the U.S.
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Election of 1948: The Underdog
The suspenseful 1948 presidential election exposed the consequences of flawed polls, as Truman's astonishing victory upended expectations and forever changed how pollsters make predictions.
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Election of 1912: Third Party
In 1912, Theodore Roosevelt's bold creation of a new political party, the Bull Moose Party, challenged rivals Taft and Wilson, forever altering the political landscape of the United States.
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Election of 1876: Testing the Constitution
The Presidential Election of 1876 was considered a foregone conclusion, with Democrat Samuel J. Tilden sure to defeat Republican Rutherford B. Hayes, but disputed Southern electoral votes led to an outcome that nobody predicted.
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Election of 1860: A Nation, Torn
The Presidential Election of 1860 proved the most divisive in U.S. history, with the election of Abraham Lincoln triggering the secession of Southern states. But how did it play out at the polls?
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Election of 1824: When the House Chose
In the Presidential Election of 1824, five men from one party were up for the job. It was left to the House of Representatives to figure out a winner – and the aftermath led to the modern two-party system.
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Election of 1800: Presidential Tie
The 1800 Presidential Election, which ended in a tie between Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Burr, presented Congress with a dilemma – how to stop a tie from happening again.
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Bella Abzug: Pioneering Feminist Icon
At a time when the U.S. House of Representatives was dominated by men, pioneering feminist Bella Abzug became a law-making force to be reckoned with.
Curated Video
James Lafayette: Revolutionary Spy
Born enslaved, James Lafayette became one of the most important Patriot spies of the American Revolution, helping to gather vital information on the British Army. His work helped the United States secure independence.
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Caretakers and Confidants: Presidential Valets
Presidential valets have been a mainstay at the White House since its earliest days. They not only perform vital tasks for the President, but act as confidantes and companions in the most trying of circumstances.
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Pandemic Perspectives: The Importance of Communication
VITAL ENGAGEMENT: Dr Holt talks about how the greatest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic is that to battle a pandemic the public must feel that they have a buy-in to the process that gives rise to the decisions to wear masks, take...
Curated Video
Pandemic Perspectives: Moral Implications, Part 1
A SOBERING ANALYSIS: Professor Frank talks about how the number of people touched by symptoms of mental illness dramatically increased during the pandemic, the increased awareness of the usefulness of mental health support for people...
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Pandemic Perspectives: Beliefs and Values
MITIGATING THE MENACE: Professor Dunn talks about how drastic and systemic the impact of the COVID-1 pandemic was, how democracy does not necessarily give any guarantee for collective security and how it is not certain that any kind of...
Curated Video
The Merits of Dissent
Stanford University classicist and political scientist Josiah Ober describes the vital role public dissent plays in a democracy, forcing us to continually reassess how well we are promoting our values, or even if those values are the...
Curated Video
The Empire of Unreason
Author and independent scholar Matthew Stewart argues that much of contemporary America has turned its back on the essential educational agenda promoted by the Founding Fathers.
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Necessarily Nebulous
Historian Martin Jay (UC Berkeley) outlines his convictions that there is no single normative notion of politics.
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Measuring Democracy
UCSD Chinese Studies specialist Karl Gerth describes how the standard view that “America is democratic and China isn’t”, while hardly entirely incorrect, doesn’t really bear up under careful scrutiny.
Curated Video
Indian Democracy and the Caste System
Political theorist John Dunn (Cambridge) describes how the development of Indian democracy has weakened the caste system.