Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 2: Protecting Individual Rights
The Founders went to extraordinary lengths to protect the rights of the people.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 3: The Articles of Confederation
It wasn't easy crafting a new constitution, even one as flawed as the Articles of Confederation.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 4: Fears of National Government
Their experience with a powerful and distant government made Americans reluctant to empower a strong national government.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 5: A Weak National Government
The Founders feared a strong national government so much that they made the national government under the Articles extremely weak.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 6: Articles of Confederation
Although the Articles of Confederation are often criticized for not giving the national government enough power, the national government under the Articles had many accomplishments.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 7: Legislative Supremacy
The Articles of Confederation were organized around the principle of legislative supremacy. Americans were wary of a strong central goverment. This would later cause problems.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics:rights After Independence Pt. 8:high Taxes, Violation of Rights
Americans in the Revolutionary era did not lead lives of leisure: they were afflicted with war, high taxes, and the violation of their own rights by the states.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 9: Economic Problems
America was threatened with economic problems in the early years of the republic. These problems and an attack on property rights led to calls for replacement of the Articles of Confederation.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 11: The Philadelphia Convention
The Philadelphia Convention assembled in 1787 to amend the Articles of Confederation. The Framers quickly decided that merely amending the Articles was not nearly enough.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights After Independence Pt. 16: No Bill of Rights
The Constitution did not originally contain a bill of rights. Find out why on today's episode.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights in the Constitution Pt. 1: Three Categories of Rights
The Constitution itself contains protections of rights that can be organized into three categories. Learn what they are on today's episode.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights in the Constitution Pt. 2: Political Independence
It's important that elected representatives have rights, too. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to do their jobs.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights in the Constitution Pt. 4: Protecting Individual Rights
How does the Constitution protect you from the federal government? Learn all about it on today's episode.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Rights in the Constitution Pt. 5: Need for a Bill of Rights
It wasn't easy convincing the states to ratify the Constitution. First, proponents of the new Constitution would have to overcome some serious objections.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The British Constitution
On today's episode, we discuss the British constitution.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Ratifying Constitution Pt. 2: A Plan for Ratification
James Madison's plan for ratification of the Constitution would not give Anti-Federalists much time to organize their opposition. The Federalists wanted to stack the odds in their favor.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Ratifying Constitution Pt. 5: The Lack of a Bill of Rights
The lack of a bill of rights was the most powerful weapon in the Anti-Federalist arsenal.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Ratifying Constitution Pt. 6: The Constitution Is Ratified
New Hampshire was the ninth state to ratify the Constitution. The Federalists had to concede one point, however: to add a bill of rights.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Creating Bill of Rights Pt. 1: Beginning of New Government
For the first time in history, the people held the ultimate power of government and had selected the person to lead their government.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Creating Bill of Rights Pt. 2:james Madison and Bill of Rights
James Madison faced a big task: sorting through almost two hundred proposed amendments to create the Bill of Rights.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Creating Bill of Rights Pt. 3: Drafting the Bill of Rights
The amendments James Madison considered for the Bill of Rights either (1) placed limitations on the power of the federal government or (2) protected individual rights.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Creating Bill of Rights Pt. 4: Madison Proposes Bill of Rights
Madison proposed the Bill of Rights in 1789 to the House of Representatives.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Creating Bill of Rights Pt. 5: Concerns About State Government
Madison was concerned about state governments violating individual rights. So, he included several amendments that protected these rights.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The British Constitution: Foundational Documents
Today we identify the three historical documents important in the development of the British constitution and the rights of the British people.