Doing the Right Thing, Part 1 | America's Unwritten Constitution with Akhil Reed Amar

A written text can't enforce itself. Akhil Reed Amar opens the chapter on conscience by asking what keeps morally serious people willing to run the constitutional machine. This lecture reframes the separation of powers: the divided system is designed not to produce fewer laws overall, but fewer standing armies and fewer arguably unconstitutional or unconscionable ones. Amar walks through the oaths that bind officials and lays out the checks unique to federal criminal law, where the House, Senate, president, judge, grand jury, and trial jury can each independently refuse, setting up the discussion of juror conscience to come. Chapters: 00:00 Conscience and oaths of office 06:16 Why the system divides power 10:20 Laws the Constitution disfavors 13:53 Special protections for criminal defendants 19:50 Six checks against a federal conviction 📚 Learning objectives: After watching, you'll be able to: - Explain the role of oaths in binding officials to the Constitution - Describe why the separated system targets unconstitutional laws rather than all laws - Identify the multiple checks unique to federal criminal prosecution - Distinguish criminal from civil procedure in their protections for defendants 📺 Watch the full playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLABHWcbOLwlY 🎓 Enroll on Coursera for assessments and a certificate: https://www.coursera.org/learn/unwritten-constitution 🌐 Explore more learning opportunities on Yale Online: https://online.yale.edu/courses/americas-unwritten-constitution