San Antonio College Library

Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Hedrick Smith leads viewers into the shadows of American government, casting light on the influence of mainstream media and the lobbies, the power showdowns between the White House and Congress, and how their colliding agendas often produce gridlock.

"This book is a history of the civil liberties records of American presidents from Woodrow Wilson to Barack Obama. It examines the full range of civil liberties issues: First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, press and assembly; due process; equal protection, including racial justice, women's rights, and lesbian and gay rights; privacy rights, including reproductive freedom; and national security issues. The book argues that presidents have not...

This discussion of the Presidency as an institution is an examination of the office itself, offered on a chronological framework.

In 2014 and 2015, President Obama launched a heavy, long-term bombing campaign against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS. But did he have constitutional authority to do so? The U.S. Constitution carefully divides the war powers of the U.S. government between the legislative and executive branches. Article I states that "Congress shall have Power ... To declare War," but Article II states that "The President shall be Commander in Chief"...

Fresh from a battle against monarchy, the American Founders were wary of a strong executive, but they were equally conscious that unchecked legislative power risked all the excesses of democracy. Creating an effective executive who did not dominate the legislative body posed a significant challenge. In The Creation of the Presidency, 1775-1789, Charles Thach's lucid analysis reveals how these conflicting concerns shaped the writing of the Constitution...

This program explores the history and anatomy of the current political debate over the idea of shifting power and authority from the federal government to the states and individuals. The program goes back to the founding of the country and examines the split between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton over how much power the federal government should have, to the present.

Combining a potent narrative with persuasive and compelling insights, Shenkman reveals that it is not just recent presidents who have been ambitious - and at times frighteningly overambitious, willing to sacrifice their health, family, loyalty, and values as they sought to overcome the obstacles to power - but that they all have. This volcanic ambition, Shenkman shows, has been essential not only in obtaining power but in facing - and attempting to...