The Constitution : fixed or flexible? /

Examines the search for balance between the original Constitution and the need to interpret and adjust it to meet the needs of changing times. Details the original Jeffersonian-Madisonian debate, the concept of checks and balances, and the stringent procedures for amending the Constitution. Case stu...

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Bibliographic Details
Corporate Authors: Educational Film Center (Annandale, Va.), Annenberg/CPB
Format: Video
Language:English
Language Notes:Closed captioned.
Published: South Burlington, Vt. : Annenberg/CPB, ©2003.
Series:Democracy in America ; 2.
Subjects:
Online Access:Connect to this streaming video (Alexander Street Press)
Description
Summary:Examines the search for balance between the original Constitution and the need to interpret and adjust it to meet the needs of changing times. Details the original Jeffersonian-Madisonian debate, the concept of checks and balances, and the stringent procedures for amending the Constitution. Case studies include legislative decisions about capital punishment for mentally retarded individuals, President Truman's veto of the Taft-Hartley Bill, and the fight for women's suffrage in the United States.
Item Description:Series covers topics of civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions recommended by The Civics Framework for the National Assessment of Educational Progress developed by the U.S. Department of Education.
Companion web site includes topic overviews, readings, critical thinking activity and web-based resources for each program.
Format:Mode of access: Windows Media Player, World Wide Web.
Audience:High school.
9-12.