Representative Democracy in America: Voices of the People is a national project designed to reinvigorate and educate Americans on the critical relationship between government and the people it serves. The project introduces citizens, particularly young people, to the representatives, institutions, and processes that serve to realize the goal of a government of, by, and for the people.

The project is implemented by the Alliance for Representative Democracy, a collaborative effort of the Center for Civic Education, the Center on Congress at Indiana University, and the National Conference of State Legislatures. Representative Democracy in America: Voices of the People provides innovative educational materials for K-12 classrooms, conducts the Campaign to Promote Civic Education, and informs the general public about representative democracy through a variety of media. To learn more, contact your state coordinator, visit the program’s website  or download the RDA brochure.

In July 2008, the Alliance launched a professional development initiative to promote the use of its extensive curricular programs in classrooms across the country. During the opening two-day seminar, notable scholars, legislators, and experts addressed wide-ranging topics on the institutions and practices of representative democracy in the United States.

Included are the following videotaped speeches presented

• Understanding Congress–Hon. Lee Hamilton, Director, Center on Congress at Indiana University (34 minutes)
• The Philosophical Foundations of Representative Democracy–Anthony Corrado, Charles A. Dana Professor of Government, Colby College
• The Informal Political Process–Thomas Mann, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution (26 minutes)
• The Role of the U.S. Senate–Donald Ritchie, Associate Historian, U.S. Senate (17 minutes)
• The Role of U.S. House of Representatives–Fred Beuttler, Deputy Historian, U.S. House of Representatives (20 minutes)
• The Role of State Legislatures–Alan Rosenthal, Professor of Political Science, Eagleton Institute of Politics, Rutgers University (28 minutes)
• Citizen Participation in State Legislatures–Hon. Rosie Berger, Wyoming State Representative (9 minutes)
• Citizen Participation in State Legislatures–Hon. Leticia Van de Putte, Texas State Senator (29 minutes)
• The Role of Education in a Representative Democracy–Margaret Branson, Associate Director, Center for Civic Education (34 minutes)

(The videos are unedited, full-length versions of the speeches.)

Representative Democracy in America

The Center for Civic Education’s major activity in the project is Representative Democracy in America, a six-part video series on DVD to help middle and high school students understand our system of representative democracy. The six programs, each approximately 15 minutes in length, and the instructional guide address the following topics:

• the roots of representative democracy
• federalism and the separation of powers
• the roles of representatives, executives, and justices in our democracy
• our representatives and how they are chosen
• the role of the citizen in a representative democracy

To order Representative Democracy in America, click here.

Comments from the field

This is terrific! Long overdue!

Laura Page
Section High School, Alabama
U.S. History, Government, Economics


The students enjoyed all of the tapes.

Maxine Mickens
Henry Ford High, Michigan
Government


Your program is excellent and should be required in all civic programs.

Michael Graham/Rachel Shook
The Morgan School, Connecticut
Civics, American History, World History


Great videos. Thank you. I love using these in class to supplement.

Kimberly Duffey
Suncoast High School
Riviera Beach, FL
AP Government and Politics

Representative Democracy in America is funded by the U.S. Department of Education under the Education for Democracy Act approved by Congress. The contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education nor should endorsement by the federal government be assumed.