Educational Media Reviews Online

The current political climate in the United States has produced a continuing debate about the Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers. Two arguments have emerged; one suggests the current administration is shredding the Constitution with its policies meant to fight the war on terrorism. The other argument suggests activist judges are rewriting the Constitution through interpreting the document to suit a particular political agenda. Those engaged in this debate often incorrectly quote the Constitution and the intent of the founding fathers. Moyers: Report from Philadelphia, The 1787 Constitutional Convention, Day by Day and Moyers: Report from Philadelphia, Themes from the 1787 Constitutional Convention offer an academic discussion of the creation of the United States founding document.

This four part series, which includes two programs, The 1787 Constitutional Convention, Day by Day and Themes from the 1787 Constitutional Convention. The 1787 Constitutional Convention, Day by Day includes sixty short clips which run approximately 2:35 each and offer a chronological discussion of the events and issues taking place at the Constitutional Convention. The series host, Bill Moyers, provides a frame of reference for each short discussion and allows the intent of the founders to come through a narration of their writings. Simple artwork provides the backdrop. This is a highly academic and objective discussion of major issues and provides a clear understanding of the issues and daily struggles these men were addressing as they attempted to create a new federal government. The film offers portraits of important delegates who participated in the convention. The pressing issues addressed include slavery, religious rights and tolerance, the debates between the Virginia and New Jersey plans, and how to divide power. The current issues being debated regarding the Constitution are addressed in this series.

The second two-part program, Themes from the1787 Constitutional Convention, repackages the 60 short clips and categorizes them by theme. Themes include the Executive Branch, Legislative Branch, Judicial Branch, Slavery, The Delegates, and The Virginia and New Jersey Plans. The audio and visual qualities are excellent. The repackaging of the 60 short clips from the Day-by-Day program to create the Themes program results in the program being disjointed. Students may find the production from the late 1980s outdated but the content is exceptional. The content offered in this series is essential for every student regardless of education level. This is an excellent choice to support any early American history or political science program. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.