Review of "Ken Burns America: The Congress," DVD

 Review of

Ken Burns America: The Congress, DVD

Five out of five stars

A look at the people’s branch

 In the American system of tripartite federal government, the Congress is the one most answerable to the people. Every two years the entire House of Representatives is elected and one-third of the Senate. Therefore, every member of Congress must keep an eye open for potential blowback from the voters based on what votes they cast in Congress.

 This video is a combination of the structure of the Congress, the history of the body and how messy the act of legislation is. For no matter how adamant a person or a group is about holding an extreme position, the ultimate result is that there will be a compromise. Even if some of the people are led to it symbolically kicking and screaming. 

 This is a video that should be shown in middle and high school social studies classes. While the basics of the federal government is simple, there is a great deal of underlying complexity in the actions. Given the extreme polarization of the current political situation in the United States, greater understanding by the voting public of how the Congress is supposed to work is necessary in order to muddle through the latest mess. 


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