Solutions That Unite Us
Over the past half century, Ken Burns has become America’s storyteller. His documentaries provide a history of the nation through biographies, sports, music, and other subjects. His most recent film, “The American Revolution,” which was supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts, premiered in November on PBS. He spoke about it with Pew recently in his barn office in New Hampshire.
Trust Magazine
Ken Burns is known for his expansive documentaries on American history and culture. With 33 documentary films to his name, what is the secret to his creative process? We travel to the New Hampshire barn where he works for a conversation about how he tells old stories in a new way and what inspires him to create.
Millions of Americans are behind on their retirement savings goals, and nearly 70% of those already retired wish they had started saving earlier. But Gen Z, the latest generation to enter the workforce, is an outlier, with the data showing that they are saving more than millennials and putting new emphasis on planning for the future. What gives?
Two hundred and fifty years later, the American Revolution is as relevant as ever. The values and the ideas discussed, debated, argued over, and ultimately written down in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution as 13 North American colonies broke from British rule in the 18th century remain essential to how we think about government today. Five prominent historians and filmmakers reflected on the war’s epic impact in a wide-ranging conversation at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia in September that then aired as a national PBS special supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts in November.
Trust Magazine
In honor of the Fourth of July, join “After the Fact” on an audio tour of key historic places in the city known as the Birthplace of America—Philadelphia. Temple University history professor Jessica Roney shares insights about America’s Founding Fathers and illuminates the lesser-known history behind the formation of the United States.
In 1958, 10 years after the founding of The Pew Charitable Trusts, about 75% of Americans thought the federal government would do the right thing most of the time.
Trust Magazine
In this season of “After the Fact,” we explore how Pew is using data to make a difference and helping communities thrive. We also highlight the state of democracy and its underlying principles through interviews with experts and leaders.
Only 1 in 5 Americans trust the federal government—so how do we restore public confidence? For more than two decades, the Partnership for Public Service has worked across presidential administrations to provide federal employees, leaders, and agencies with insights, training, and research to better serve the public. Through these efforts, and by improving the narrative around our federal institutions, the Partnership seeks to build a more trusted and trustworthy government—and a stronger democracy.
Trend Magazine
Trust in our nation’s institutions has never been lower. And experts tend to blame our politically polarized society, which certainly contributes to the deep unease that is being felt by a majority of Americans today.
Trend Magazine
Signed by the delegates of the Philadelphia Convention in 1787, the U.S. Constitution outlines how the American government is organized and operates. Test your knowledge of this key document in American history through these seven questions.
The Declaration of Independence. The Constitution. The Bill of Rights. America’s founding documents were the result of debates and compromises that created a new nation unlike any other. Learn more about the history and content of America’s defining documents.
The executive branch is one of the three branches of the U.S. government; it includes the president, vice president, presidential advisors and Cabinet, 15 executive departments, as well as hundreds of other bureaus and agencies. U.S. government employees within the executive branch play a variety of critical roles, such as issuing passports, maintaining public lands, printing money, monitoring the economy, and supporting health programs.
How well do you know the top leaders of our land?
The framers of the Constitution faced a dilemma: How do they organize 13 independent states — each with its own governing bodies and constitution — into one unified country? Their solution was a system that shared power between the states and a central government, also called federalism. Take the quiz below to see how much you know about how state and federal governments function and interact.
