Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Virginia Plan
The Virginia Plan focused the delegates to the Constitutional Convention on replacing the Articles of Confederation, not merely revising it. [59]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Equal Representation
James Madison thought that the equal representation in the Senate agreed to in the Great Compromise was a betrayal of republican principles.
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Most Active Delegate
James Madison was extremely active at the Philadelphia Convention, giving more than 160 speeches and serving as the convention's unofficial secretary. [55 mins.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Federalist 10
Federalist 10 is considered to be a masterpiece of political thought by James Madison; find out more on today's episode. [1 min. 13 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Federalist 51
A government with separation of powers is well addressed in Federalist 51. James Madison said that if men were angels, then no government would be needed. But men are not angels, are they? [1 min. 7 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Ambition Must Be Made to Counteract Ambition
Ambition must be made to counteract ambition, wrote James Madison. The Constitution provides the checks and balances to accomplish this. [56 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Madison as an Advocate of Religious Freedom
Virginia once had an official religion; James Madison thought that this was not a good idea. [1 min. 4 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Laws for the Human Mind
James Madison fought for religious liberties in Virginia, calling laws mandating state religion "laws for the human mind." [1 min.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Father of the Bill of Rights
James Madison was truly the father of the Bill of Rights. He worked almost single-handedly to draft and gain support for the document in the summer of 1789. [1 min. 18 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Dangers of Faction
James Madison was no fan of partisanship. He feared that factions would develop based on differences in political views. [1 min. 10 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Madison Changes His Mind About Factions
Was James Madison a flip-flopper? Well, he changed his mind about the value of political parties. [1 min. 2 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Reformation Part 1
Today we begin our examination of the Protestant Reformation and its contributions to ideas about rights. [1 min. 17 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Critics Accuse Madison of Hypocrisy
Elections are a legitimate way of avoiding bad governance, said James Madison, and so he eventually came around to supporting political parties. Why did he change his mind? [1 min. 10 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Growing Sectionalism
James Madison to America: Overcome your partisan animosities and emulate the Framers' spirit of compromise. [1 min.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Legacy of James Madison
We conclude this series on James Madison and the Constitution with an examination of the lessons of the Philadelphia Convention. Madison was afraid that his legacy would disappear taking with it the spirit of compromise. [1 min. 12 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Important Tasks of the First Congress
Want to learn how the U.S. government was organized? In 1789 the founding fathers began the organization process with Article II of the Constitution. [1 min. 17 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Finding a Source of Income
In 1789 the U.S government faced a serious problem: it did not have any income. Congress had to figure out how to acquire money to fund the federal government. [53 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: His Highness the President
The new government of the United States had to get organized. Congress once debated addressing the chief executive as "His Highness, the President." Find out why they changed their minds on today's episode. [58 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The First Executive Departments
What were the first three executive departments in the new government of the United States? Find out in this episode. [52 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Reformation Part 2
Today we examine the roots of the Protestant Reformation when specific groups decided to break away from the Roman Catholic Church. [1 min. 17 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The First Cabinet
Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, and Henry Knox: These were the first three secretaries of the first executive departments. [1 min.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Expanding Executive Branch
When Jefferson was president, about 2,000 people worked for the executive branch; today, that number is about 3 million. Does the growth of the government adhere to the rules set forth in the Constitution? [1 min. 3 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: Article Iii of the Constitution
How did Article III of the Constitution and Congress establish our judicial branch? Find out in this episode. [56 secs.]
Center For Civic Education
60 Second Civics: The Importance of the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court wasn't always as influential as it is now. In fact, one justice didn't even show up. Did anyone consider the Supreme Court important in the early days? [1 min. 2 secs.]