Unit 5: The Separation of Powers and Federalism
Constitution 101 with Khan Academy
Learn about key principles like the separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism, explore how the founders envisioned these important principles guarding against government abuses and promoting deliberation and compromise, and study concrete examples of how Americans have debated these key principles throughout American history and up through today.
Videos in Playlist: 24
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Videos in Unit 5 Playlist
- What was it like being governor of Florida?
(Run time: 2:52 minutes)
- What did the COVID-19 pandemic teach us about federalism today?
(Run time: 4:58 minutes)
- What are examples of federalism in the U.S. Constitution?
(Run time: 1:34 minutes)
- What did Justice Louis Brandeis mean by his famous vision of states as laboratories of democracy?
(Run time: 3:17 minutes)
- How does federalism structure our nation’s politics?
(Run time: 4:41 minutes)
- What is federalism?
(Run time: 1:19 minutes)
- What powers does the Constitution grant to the national government to protect civil rights?
(Run time: 5:21 minutes)
- How does the Constitution limit the powers of government?
(Run time: 1:43 minutes)
- What role did the separation of powers play in the founders’ vision of democracy?
(Run time: 4:56 minutes)
- What role did civic virtue play in Montesquieu’s vision?
(Run time: 3:03 minutes)
- What does the Constitution Election Clause say about the role of the national government in voting?
(Run time: 2:08 minutes)
- Why was Montesquieu important to the founders?
(Run time: 1:46 minutes)
- How does federalism check those in power?
(Run time: 1:40 minutes)
- How does modern party politics challenge the founders’ vision for the U.S. Constitution?
(Run time: 1:29 minutes)
- What are the dangers of excessive partisanship?
(Run time: 2:23 minutes)
- How did the founders envision politics working under the U.S. Constitution?
(Run time: 4:03 minutes)
- What was the constitutional vision of John Adams?
(Run time: 1:58 minutes)
- What were the constitutional debates over slavery before the Civil War?
(Run time: 5:20 minutes)
- How did the suffragists use federalism to secure the right to vote for women?
(Run time: 2:01 minutes)
- What powers did the Reconstruction Amendments grant to the national government?
(Run time: 1:46 minutes)
- What were the competing constitutional visions of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson?
(Run time: 1:37 minutes)
- What does the 10th Amendment say?
(Run time: 2:00 minutes)
- How was power divided between the national government and the states at the Founding?
(Run time: 1:44 minutes)
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