#101 - American Heritage
American politics today cannot be understood apart from the nation's heritage. Government does not begin over and over again with each generation; it builds on the past. In the case of the United States, the most significant link between past and present lies in the nation's founding ideals. This episode examines the key principles that have shaped American politics since the country's earliest years.

#102 - The American Experiment
Reviews the settlement and early days of the American colonies, the fight for independence, and the evolution of a constitutional framework of government for the new United States. The comments of scholars are interwoven with excerpts from the writings of those who were on the scene.

#103 - The Living Constitution
At 7,000 words, the U.S. Constitution is shorter than every state constitution except Vermont's. It is also difficult to formally amend: Of the more than 11,000 amendments that have been proposed to Congress, only 27 have been ratified. Yet it is a living, unfinished document, constantly being "amended" by congressional legislation, presidential actions, judicial review (interpreting the intentions of the framers), custom, and use.

#104 - A Question of Sovereignty
Explores American federalism—the system of relationships among the U.S. government; the 50 state governments; and town, city, and county governments—and compares it to other ways of ordering relations between central governments and local units.

#105 - The Most Basic of Rights
The civil liberties embedded in the Bill of Rights place specific limitations on governmental power. For example, the First Amendment states that freedoms of religion, speech, press, and assembly cannot be abridged or taken away. But like the rest of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights is relatively brief, establishing only broad guidelines for courts to apply to specific situations.

#106 - The Rights of the Accused
The United States has one of the highest violent crime rates in the world, making the rights of the accused a volatile issue. In trying to find a balance among the rights of the accused, the rights of society, and concern for victims of crime, courts call on the fourth, fifth, sixth, and eighth amendments to the Constitution.

#107 - The Struggle for Equality
When the Declaration of Independence was written in 1776, the term "all men" did not include slaves, Native Americans, men without property, or women. During the last 200 years, various minority groups have struggled to strengthen and expand constitutional guarantees of equality.

#108 - Frames of Reference
The scientific measurement of public opinion has become a permanent fixture of the political scene. Examinations of the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the Watergate scandal in the '70s, and the impeachment of President Clinton in the '90s explore how public opinion came to play such a powerful role in American politics.

#109 - Voice of the People
The most basic form of participation in democratic government is voting, a right that took many Americans centuries to achieve. In comparison to many other nations, though, voter participation in the U.S. is now declining. This program examines relationships between voting and a person's age, education, and economic status and looks at other ways citizens participate in the political process, from campaign activities to social movements and protests.

#110 - Party Politics
American political history is seen through the prism of party politics. Divergent interests, seeking to strengthen their voices, join with others to create a common political agenda, often under the Republican or Democrat banner. But as the two major parties become more narrowly defined, many political moderates feel they've lost their political home. Meanwhile, third-party ventures can play a major role in influencing the outcome of an election, as was apparent in the 2000 presidential election, but seldom elect their candidates to public office.

#111 - Campaign Trail
Though party organizations are alive and well in America, they are no longer the driving force in most campaigns. Instead, many elections are candidate-centered. Office seekers raise their own funds, form their own organizations, and choose the issues on which they will run. Candidates, strategists, managers, and critics talk about the techniques and the impacts of this style of politics.

#112 - Pressure Politics
More than any other people in the world, Americans tend to form groups to solve civic problems and lobby for their economic or political interests. This activity is encouraged by the structure of American government, particularly at the local level, which offers many points of access where interest groups, including big business, may make their opinions known.

#113 - The Fourth Estate
Day to day, more Americans connect to politics through the news media than through political parties or groups. The press brings events and problems into view; serves as a channel by which political leaders can address the public; and scrutinizes political behavior for evidence of deceitful, careless, or corrupt acts. But the increasing tendency of the media to probe into all aspects of a politician's life, private as well as public, has made many officials less candid and forthcoming.

#114 - The First Branch
Follows three members of Congress through the election process and their early days in office, examining the differences between how the Senate and House of Representatives operate, the once-a-decade redistricting process, and the challenges congressional members face both in the halls of Congress and back home in their districts.

#115 - Government by Committee
Most of the actual work of legislating is done by the committees and subcommittees within Congress—a division of labor that emerged in response to the profusion of bills introduced each term, allowing members to gain expertise in particular areas of governmental activity. This exploration of the committee structure and formal leadership of Congress examines the various routes bills may take before being enacted into law and the factors that influence members' votes.

#116 - The Glorious Burden
The Constitution lists a few basic qualifications and responsibilities for the president, but only vaguely describes the day-to-day duties of the office. Political observers and insiders from recent administrations explore the foundations of the modern presidency, from the campaign for nomination to staffing the executive branch of government.

#117 - Leader for the Nation
Because the president operates within a system of separate institutions that share power, many presidential proposals fail to advance beyond the idea stage. Whether presidential initiatives succeed or fail depends on several factors, including historical circumstances, the stage of the president's term, and the level of support for the president in Congress and among the public.

#118 - The Federal Workplace
Ambitious and far-reaching government programs like Social Security, environmental protection, interstate highways, and the postal service require a bureaucracy to administer. Yet the bureaucracy is also a problem; even those who work in federal agencies bemoan its rigidity and costliness. And today's civil servants, governed by stringent rules and regulations, are encumbered by regulatory impediments that would appal their private-sector counterparts.

#119 - The Power Imperative
Observers including former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich and former Secretary of State James Baker explain the nature of the federal bureaucracy and the politics that surround it. Although agencies are subject to scrutiny by the president, Congress, and the courts, bureaucrats often are able to achieve power in their own right through expert knowledge, support from client groups, and backing from key legislators or the president.

#120 - The Rule of Nine
An overview of the federal judiciary, including the Supreme Court of the United States—the only judicial body specifically established in the Constitution. Unlike top executive and legislative positions, federal judicial offices carry no specific age, residency, or citizenship requirements, and their holders are not elected by the people. Instead, federal judges are nominated by the president and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before taking office.

#121 - Legal Precedent
Although judicial decisions are constrained by applicable constitutional law, statutory law, and precedent, the courts have considerable discretion in the way they interpret these laws. This examination of the judiciary's proper role in a democracy probes contemporary topics such as originalism, textualism, judicial review, and judicial activism.

#122 - Balancing Act
Looks at responses from businesses, investors, depositors, and consumers to the onset of the Great Depression—responses that only made the situation worse—and examines the government safeguards that were created afterward to keep the economy on more stable footing. Topics include government promotion and regulation of economic interests, fiscal and monetary policies, the politics of economic decision making, and the management of the public debt.

#123 - The Nation's Welfare
Examines past government efforts to alleviate poverty in the United States and the continuing political debate about just what its role should be. Despite general agreement about goals—that social welfare programs should provide benefits only to those truly in need and should be designed to reward and foster self-reliance—specific policies and definitions still stir passionate debate.

#124 - Health of the Nation: Health of the Planet
An overview of various governmental attempts to ensure a healthy America, from the work of various medical research agencies and regulatory units to specific governmental programs designed to cover gaps in private health insurance coverage, such as Medicare and Medicaid.

#125 - Global Politics
An overview of United States foreign policy, the primary goal of which is the preservation of the American state. The task requires not only military readiness to protect territorial integrity and international interests, but also policies that foster economic growth and preserve the nation's position in the international marketplace.

#126 - Preserve, Protect, and Defend
Since September 11, 2001, the protection and defense of the United States have occupied center stage. This final program in the series looks at the nation's response to the terrorist attacks and examines America's defense and "peace-keeping" policy in the post-Cold War period.