Catalog Search Results
6) Lawmaking
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English
Description
This program shows the process of lawmaking. Through dozens of interviews at state capitols across the United States, we meet officials in state legislatures and learn about their respective roles in the making of laws. We meet the speakers of the Senate and House, the minority leaders, the chief clerks; see caucuses, committees, and lobbyists in action; and develop an understanding of how they interact. Students learn how legislators compromise to...
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English
Description
Since the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788, it has been amended 27 times, always by the same method outlined in Article V of the document: by winning approval of two-thirds of each chamber of Congress and three-fourths of the states. But Article V allows for another method to revise the Constitution that bypasses Congress: by winning approval of two-thirds of state legislatures to call a convention and approve amendments, and then gaining the...
9) Until justice be done: America's first civil rights movement, from the revolution to reconstruction
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English
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Description
"A groundbreaking history of the antebellum movement for equal rights that reshaped the institutions of freedom after the Civil War. The half century before the Civil War was beset with conflict over freedom as well as slavery: what were the arrangements of free society, especially for African Americans? Beginning in 1803, many free states enacted black codes that discouraged the settlement and restricted the basic rights of free black people. But...
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No Choice begins by discussing the ways in which life before Roe will be mirrored in life after: the wealthy and privileged will still have access, low-income people will suffer disproportionately, and pregnancy will be heavily policed. Then, Andrews looks at the states and communities that have been affected by the erosion of abortion rights in the U.S., and tells the stories of those who are most at risk from this reversal of settled law. As the...
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"A new generation is stepping up. There are now twenty-six millennials in Congress--a fivefold increase gained in the 2018 midterms alone. They are governing Midwestern cities and college towns, running for city councils, and serving in state legislatures. They are acting urgently on climate change (because they are going to live it); they care deeply about student debt (because they have it); they are utilizing big tech but still want to regulate...
12) Lawmakers
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English
Description
This program focuses on those who choose to become legislators, and why. Many senators and representatives, from all walks of life, speak about what motivates them to seek public office. Interviews with factory workers, farmers, housewives, and policemen, who also serve in their state legislatures, dispel preconceptions about overly ambitious politicians. We learn that campaigning has become a nearly continuous process for representatives. The program...
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English
Description
Marriages, they say, are supposed to last forever. Why then have courts and legislatures made it so much easier to get a divorce? How did they imagine it would help society? And have women and children really reaped the intended financial and social benefits? This program examines the state of divorce in America as it argues that the time has come for the pendulum of legislation to swing the other way, once again making divorces harder to obtain.
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English
Description
When Americans become outraged with behavior considered immoral or unethical, a typical response is to call on state legislatures or Congress to pass legislation outlawing it. Can government impose morality on its people by banning negative behavior or mandating positive behavior? History suggests that such efforts, though well-intentioned in many cases, are often ineffective. This program examines the successes and failures of law as a source of...
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English
Description
For much of its history, the United States has had a two-party system, with Democrats and Republicans vying for office. Indeed, since the Civil War (1861–65), every president has been a Democrat or Republican, along with most governors and members of Congress and state legislatures. Supporters of the two-party system argue that it fosters stability, simplifies voting decisions, and encourages broad-based, moderate policies. It also, they contend,...
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"It's 20 August 2018, late summer in Stockholm, and it feels incredibly hot in the city. The TV news reports rising temperatures, and there have been numerous fires throughout Sweden. Fifteen-year-old Greta Thunberg decides she can't wait any longer: politicians have to do something to save the environment. Instead of returning to school, Greta takes a placard and goes on strike in front of Sweden's parliament building. Greta's protest began the 'Fridays...
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"In this book, John Hope Franklin and Loren Schweninger demonstrate that, contrary to popular belief, significant numbers of slaves did in fact frequently rebel against their masters and struggle to attain their freedom. By surveying a wealth of documents, such as planters' records, petitions to county courts and state legislatures, and local newspapers, this book shows how slaves resisted; when, where, and how they escaped; where they fled to; how...
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English
Description
"This new, completely revised edition of Legal Rights: The Guide for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People meticulously describes the federal and state statutes that prohibit discrimination against deaf and hard of hearing people. Written in easy-to-understand language, the sixth edition explains critically important legislation such as the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities...