In this mini simulation, students step into the shoes of the National Security Council to decide if the United States should impose a ban on TikTok to safeguard citizens’ data and the country’s security. Students will learn about the ways that private businesses can intersect with national security and the opportunities and limitations for government regulation of digital technologies.
What Kinds of Governments Exist?
How governments interpret, prioritize, and grapple with pillars of modern society—for instance, security, freedom, and prosperity—determines the kinds of policies they enact. In this multimedia resource, explore the differences between democracies and autocracies, communism and capitalism, and right and left leaning ideologies.
What Is Government?
Governments have been around for almost four thousand years. Throughout that time, they have shared the same central function: to lead and protect their people. Despite that similarity, governments do not all look or act the same way. This video explores what government is and to what extent your voice is heard by those in power.
U.S. History Mini Simulations
In this series of historical mini simulations, students step into the shoes of policymakers to advise the U.S. president on how to respond to major foreign policy moments in U.S. history. These eight historical simulations cover crucial U.S. decisions from the 19th to 21st centuries. Designed with a U.S. history survey course in mind, the simulations can fuel a lively discussion to supplement your curriculum and encourage civic engagement.
Civic Engagement and How Students Can Get Involved
What rights and abilities do you have when it comes to advocating for issues you believe in? Use the lesson plan to discuss civic engagement and the role citizens play in making their voices heard.
Learn How to Volunteer at Your Local Election Center
Who are poll workers? And what do they do? Learn how you can take part in the democratic process as a poll worker!
Laws, Norms, and Democratic Backsliding
Democracies around the world are under siege—not by foreign invaders but by domestic leaders who are weakening their countries’ institutions that protect political freedoms and civil liberties. That trend is known as democratic backsliding. This multimedia resource explores the principles that underpin democracy and the countries in which they are under threat.
How Do Forces Outside Government Influence Policymaking?
The president of the United States leads the country’s foreign policy. However, presidents face many checks to their power within the government. In this multimedia resource, learn how journalism, social media, public opinion, and lobbies are all a part of American democracy and influence U.S. foreign policy.
At George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Remembering the Enslaved People Who Built America
A tour guide at Washington’s Mount Vernon estate, who is also a distant relation of an enslaved person at the Virginia estate, offers his perspective about American history, slavery and the founding fathers.
Take the Political Party Quiz to Find Out Where You Fit!
Have you ever wondered where you fit on the political spectrum? To help you find out, PBS NewsHour partnered with the Pew Research Center to create a simple quiz that helps calculate your partisan status and how you compare with others.