Power resides in the people living in a democratic republic and exercising that power is an immense responsibility. As James Madison wrote in Federalist 51, “A dependence on the people is, no doubt, the primary control on the government;…” This seven-week series is designed for teachers and anyone interested in civics, government, U.S. history, and those who want to better understand the topics outlined below. 

 

The Power to the People webinar series is sponsored by the Center for Civic Education, Kansas State University, the Johnson County First Amendment Foundation, and the Indiana Bar Foundation. We thank you for your support!

The Power of People and the Courts

Thursday, September 17 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific

A Review of Selected Supreme Court Cases from 2019–2020
Scholar Panel: Christopher Riano and U.S. District Judge Mae Avila D'Agostino

In this first webinar in the Power to the People series from the Center for Civic Education, Center President Christopher Riano and U.S. District Judge Mae Avila D'Agostino review selected U.S. Supreme Court cases from 2019–2020.

This webinar is designed especially for teachers of civics, government, and U.S. history who want to better understand recent U.S. Supreme Court cases, but anyone with an interest in the U.S. judiciary, politics, and government will find it informative.

Duration: 1 hour, 33 minutes

Court Cases Discussed:

Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/19-431

Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/19-267

Bostock v. Clayton County: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/17-1618

McGirt v. Oklahoma: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/18-9526

Trump v. Mazars USA, LLP: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/19-715

Trump v. Vance: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2019/19-635

The Power of Indian Sovereignty

Thursday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific

In his book Blood Struggle: The Rise of Modern Indian Nations, Charles F. Wilkinson writes, "there are three branches of sovereignty within the American constitutional system: the United States, the states (cities and counties are subdivisions of state sovereignty), and the Indian tribes," and yet many Americans never consider Native American sovereignty, and it is not discussed in any depth in most K-12 schools.

In this second webinar in the Power to the People series from the Center for Civic Education, David Wilkins, E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor in Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond, addresses the relationship between power and Native American sovereignty.

The Power of Indian Sovereignty is designed especially for teachers of civics, government, and U.S. history who want to better understand tribal sovereignty in the American constitutional system, but everyone will find it informative.

Speaker: Dr. David E. Wilkins, Professor, E. Claiborne Robins
Distinguished Professor in Leadership Studies, University of Richmond  

Duration: 1.5 hours

Handouts: Native Sovereignty: A Potpourri of Definitions

McGirt v. Oklahoma (2020): http://encyclopedia.federalism.org/index.php?title=McGirt_v._Oklahoma_(2020)

The Power of Movements: The Struggle to Pass the Nineteenth Amendment and Beyond 

Thursday, October 1 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific

In this third webinar in the Power to the People series from the Center for Civic Education, Lisa Tetrault, associate professor in the Department of History at Carnegie Mellon University, explains the struggle to pass the Nineteenth Amendment and continuing efforts of Americans to ensure their access to the polls. This year is the one hundredth anniversary of the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment.

This webinar is designed especially for teachers of civics, government, and U.S. history who want to better understand the women's suffrage movement, but everyone will find it informative.

Speaker: Lisa Tetrault, Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University  

Duration: 1.5 hours

Handout: Lessons from the Constitution: Thinking Through the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments by Lisa Tetrault (Social Studies Education, 2019)

The Power of Symbols: Monuments and Flags 

Thursday, October 8 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific

On a Friday night in 2017, a group of about 250 people carrying torches, mostly young white men, marched in a column toward a statue of Thomas Jefferson at the University of Virginia. Violence erupted as they met a multiracial group of about 30 counterprotesters who had locked arms around the base of the statue. This first night of violence would set off days of mayhem in Charlottesville.

In this fourth webinar in the Power to the People series from the Center for Civic Education, Brandon Hasbrouck, Assistant Professor of Law at the Washington and Lee University School of Law, explains why symbols, such as monuments and flags, have such power and emotional impact for Americans.

The Power of Symbols: Monuments and Flags webinar is designed especially for teachers of civics, government, and U.S. history who want to better understand current controversies surrounding monuments and flags, but everyone is welcome to attend.

Speaker: Brandon Hasbrouck, Assistant Professor of Law, Washington and Lee University School of Law 

Duration: 1.5 hours

The Power of Free Speech 

Thursday, October 22 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific

Speech can be a powerful tool to influence elected officials. In fact, free speech can change the world.

In this fifth webinar in the Power to the People series from the Center for Civic Education, David Hudson, a First Amendment expert and law professor who serves as First Amendment Ombudsman for the Freedom Forum Institute’s First Amendment Center, explains the power of free speech.

The Power of Free Speech webinar is designed especially for teachers of civics, government, and U.S. history who want to better understand the power of free speech, but everyone is welcome to attend.

Speaker: David Hudson, Visiting Associate Professor of Legal Practice, Belmont University

Duration: 1.5 hours

The Power of Voting: The Electoral College, Gerrymandering, and Suppression  

Thursday, October 29 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific

People express their power at the ballot box by giving power to elected officials and public institutions. For generations, Americans have struggled to secure their right to vote, but today, access to the polls remains one of the most hotly contested topics in American politics, especially right before an election for president.

In this sixth webinar in the Power to the People series from the Center for Civic Education, Michael Li, senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Democracy Program, explains the power of voting, with a special focus on the Electoral College, gerrymandering, and voter suppression.

The Power of Voting webinar is designed especially for teachers of civics, government, and U.S. history who want to better understand the power of voting, but everyone is welcome to attend.

Speaker: Michael Li, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center's Democracy Program

Duration: 1.5 hours

The Power of the Criminal Justice System 

Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern / 4:30 p.m. Pacific

When is it reasonable to have your power taken away through decisions made by our criminal justice system? According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are about 2.2 million people incarcerated in American jails in prisons, making the United States the nation with the highest prison population rate in the world, higher even than Iran, Cuba, China, and Russia.

In this seventh and final webinar in the Power to the People series from the Center for Civic Education, Hernandez Stroud, Counsel for the Justice Program of the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law, explains the power of the American criminal justice system.

The Power of the Criminal Justice System webinar is designed especially for teachers of civics, government, and U.S. history who want to better understand the criminal justice system, but everyone is welcome to attend.

Speaker: Hernandez Stroud, Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice

Duration: 1.5 hours