ABOUT

We Hold
These Truths

A Fresh Look At Our
American Democracy

Center for Civic Education
Documentary Series

This timely five-part documentary series on U.S. civic and constitutional history is hosted by Mark Hamill and delivered by scholars and educators reaching millions of viewers at home and in classrooms. Most Americans lack a strong understanding about how their government functions because for decades, states have cut instructional time for civics in order to prioritize standardized testing for math and reading. So the aim of this documentary series is to cultivate an informed and thoughtful citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy.

Executive Producers
Mark Hamill
David Holden
TV Logos
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1765

“Liberty cannot be preserved without a
general knowledge among the people,
who have a right … and a desire to know.


John Adams

The Declaration was America's foundational document, laying before the world the self-evident truths of a free and fair republic and it's famous second paragraph begins with these words "We hold these truths...".



The 2026 Semiquincentennial celebration was a launching point for America to reconnect with our founding principles as we enter into 13 years of civic celebrations and reflection on these milestones. Not only is civic education a worthy cause, it is a vital part of any democracy.

However, research shows that knowledge regarding basic government principles and operations is surprisingly low in the United States. According to an Annenberg Public Policy Center survey, one-third of Americans could not name all three branches of their government, and two-thirds could not name three of the five First Amendment rights. The results are even more disheartening when it comes to state and local government. It’s time to begin filling that education gap. The Center for Civic Education and Capital Media Group, Inc. are launching a national initiative to increase civic knowledge and citizen responsibility.

Every American should have a thorough understanding of the U.S. government's inner workings, the significance of key government documents like the Constitution, and the principles of democracy. Compound this lack of civic knowledge with disinformation and you have the building blocks for conspiracy theories, conflict, and disenfranchisement. This compelling nonpartisan five-part TV documentary series for PBS distribution will address these knowledge gaps and explore the misinformation that has divided America and increased the distrust of its government and public service members.

“We the People” are the first three words of the Preamble to the United States Constitution, meaning that the authority of the government comes from its citizens who grant authority to the government through a social contract. The We Hold These Truths documentary series explores the rights, duties, and responsibilities of engaged citizens. Each episode will inform the viewer in an entertaining and relevant manner the entire family can enjoy and become a trusted educational tool for parents, educators, and anyone eager to become an active and informed citizen.

"We treat public health with national urgency, and our civic health deserves nothing less. Civic literacy requires the scale and impact of a Susan G. Komen-style campaign to mobilize the nation and safeguard our democracy."

quote

David Holden | Executive Producer

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Five-Part Documentary
Series on U.S. Civics

The documentary series We Hold These Truths strips away partisan politics to focus on a foundational goal: explaining how the American government works so citizens can make informed decisions. When voters lose sight of our civic framework — the Constitution, fair elections, the checks and balances inherent in the separation of powers, independent journalism, and the limits of executive authority—elections shift from focusing on qualifications to becoming influenced by negative ad campaigns and viral misinformation. By rebuilding civic literacy, we restore government accountability to the hands of the people. Active, educated participation is not just a preference; it is our responsibility as U.S. citizens.

  • Self-Evident? The Ideas That Built America

  • Compromise or Chaos: How the Constitution Was Born

  • Three Branches, One Government: Can It All Work?

  • Power in Layers: The Puzzle of U.S. Federalism

  • From the Bill of Rights to Your Backyard

Episode One

The first episode will address the roots of American democracy and the “Truths” we hold as self-evident that all men are created equal.

  • What are their origins and how did they shape the foundation of American constitutional democracy? What major ideas about civic life and government influenced American thinking about government? (Political philosophy)
  • How did colonists think about constitutional government and rights? (Connecting history with today's events)
  • How Democratic were early state constitutions? (throughline to today’s states and rights)
  • We will also explore the unfinished work of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, racial and gender justice.
  • How does the media convey political information and what are some ways to become media literate?
  • What is civic engagement and why is it important to American constitutional democracy? It's time we stopped being spectators in our own democracy and actively engage in the process.

    • Episode Two

    It took a lot of compromises to create the new constitution. Episode two will reveal how many of those compromises still have far-reaching effects on our government and American life today. We will answer the questions:

  • What is American political philosophy?
  • Did our framers create a complete government?
  • How are the criticisms of the anti-federalists still relevant today?
  • Why did American colonists want to free themselves from Great Britain?
  • Is compromise the best path to success?
  • Were anti-federalists justified in opposing the new constitution? (Current event implications)
  • How did ratification succeed? (Foundational American political philosophy)
  • How do key Constitutional Compromises impact the United States today?

    • Episode Three

    Episode three will answer the questions:

  • What exactly do we mean by separate and shared powers?
  • What are the roles, structures, powers, and limits on the powers of the three branches?
  • How have these powers and limits been tested, expanded, and challenged over the years?
  • What is the role of Congress in the American Political system?
  • What is the role of the President in the American Constitutional system?
  • How do the Constitution and judicial review empower and limit the judiciary?
  • What role does the Separation of Powers play in the American constitutional system today?

    • Episode Four

    The U.S. government is a federal system. Our historians for episode four will explain how we decided on such a system. We will also look into the ever-evolving nature of the states and national government’s relationship.

  • What is the relationship between the local, states, national, and tribal governments?
  • What did America’s first government look like?
  • How do States fit into the Federal System of Government in the U.S.?
  • What is the role of states within the Federal System?
  • How does the Constitution recognize the sovereignty of Indigenous Nations?
  • How do the Reconstruction Amendments change the relationship between State and Federal Governments?

    • Episode Five

    What rights to Americans "think" are protected by the Constitution?

  • We will uncover the definition of "...they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".
  • What are the powers of the people under the Constitution?
  • What is the Bill of Rights and what are some of the first rights protected?
  • How does the Bill of Rights Protect the rights of the accused?
  • How do civic organizations give the people a voice in government?
  • How have the People's Rights to Vote and have representation evolved?

    • Narrator and Host
    Mark Hamill

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    Mark Hamill is an Actor, Producer, and Director.

    The American actor Mark Hamill has played and voiced over 250 roles, gaining world fame with his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars movie trilogy (1977–1983). To this day, his role as a jedi remains one of the greatest symbols of good battling evil and of light triumphing over darkness.

    IMDb

    Mark Hamill distinguished himself from his role in Star Wars by landing roles like Corvette Summer (1978) and Samuel Fuller's The Big Red One (1980) and pursuing a theatre career on Broadway, starring in productions of The Elephant Man (1980), Amadeus (1983) and The Nerd (1987). Starting in the 1990s, Hamill began to work primarily as a voice actor for animated film, television, and video games, with the Joker in multiple pieces of DC Comics media, starting with Batman: The Animated Series in 1992, being his most well-known voice role. For his role of the Joker, he was nominated for two Annie Awards and won a BAFTA Game Award. His other animated roles include the Hobgoblin in Spider-Man: The Animated Series (1994–1998), Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005–2008), Mr. Salacia and Senator Stampingston in Metalocalypse (2006–2013, 2023), and Skips in Regular Show (2010–2017) and The Lost Tapes (2026–present).

    Hamill returned to mainstream prominence when he reprised his Luke Skywalker role in the Star Wars sequel trilogy (2015–2019). He followed this with live-action roles in Brigsby Bear (2017), the Netflix miniseries The Fall of the House of Usher (2023), The Life of Chuck (2024), and The Long Walk (2025).

    Nationwide Broadcasts, Streaming & On-Demand

    Reaching 80 Million U.S. households

    Through a multi-year distribution strategy, this documentary series will reach 80 million U.S. households across multiple media channels. This series will be broadcast on Public television stations and simultaniously live streamed ad-free on the leading streaming platforms: Prime Video, AppleTV, YouTubeTV, Directv, fire tv, Hulu+Live, Roku, Sling TV, as well as LG and Samsung operating systems. Viewers can also watch any of the episodes on-demand by visiting the PBS.org website, the PBS phone apps, or searching for the series on their local PBS streaming channel.

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    Ensure Brand Integrity with

    Public Television

    Uninterrupted and Uncluttered for Sponsors

    91%
    Find PBS Credible
    81%
    Respect PBS Sponsors
    96%
    US Households
    356M
    Monthly Video Streams

    Classroom and Library Implementation

    Reaching 40 Million Students & Teachers in 77,000 Schools and Universities and 26,000 Public and Academic Libraries.

    While the series will be aired to the general public on television, academic publishers will provide these civic documentary episodes directly to educators nationwide for the next 13 years of U.S. civic celebrations who will impart the lessons to their students in order to build civic knowledge and skills. The Center and CMG have a combined academic reach of 40 million students and teachers inside 77,000 Schools & Universities, and 26,000 Public & Academic libraries.

    Independent research of the Center’s programs, including randomized controlled tests from Georgetown University Civic Education Research Lab (2025), shows significant gains in civic knowledge, constitutional reasoning, civil discourse, and civic dispositions. Students show substantial increases in civic knowledge, with gains of 75 percent in elementary school, 68 percent in middle school, and 31 percent in high school. The Center renews democracy with each generation, through a time-tested civic education system grounded in our national network of scholars, educators, and supporters. Through high-quality instructional materials, teacher professional learning, iterative research of core programs, and student experiential learning, the Center provides transformative nonpartisan civic learning experiences that inspire long-term engagement and foster strong people and communities. In addition to national publisher distribution, the Center invites more than 100 high school teachers throughout the United States to attend a summer institute each year and be introduced to the We Hold These Truths documentary series as a supplemental teaching resource in their classrooms.


    Strategic Distribution
    reaching a national viewership

    Multi-channel distribution includes: TV broadcast on public television stations nationwide, ad-free live streaming on Amazon Prime, YouTube TV, Xfinity, Apple TV, Roku, fire TV, and on the Tizen and LG TV operating systems. On-demand viewing of this series is available on the PBS.org website, on local PBS streaming channels, PBS phone apps, inside classrooms and libraries. Clips will also be utilized to engage social media viewers.

    80

    MILLION
    U.S. Households

    40

    MILLION
    Teachers & Students

    77000

    Universities
    & K-12 Schools

    26000

    Public & Academic
    Libraries

    Civic education isn't about memorizing dates for a school test. Its knowledge that helps you make informed decisions about the issues that affect our daily lives. Democracy depends on civic education.




    View the One-Sheet for this series

    This PDF provides a brief overview of the We Hold These Trughts documentary series.

    ONE-SHEET PDF
    Series Underwriting PDF
    We Hold These Truths 13 year Sponsorship.

    This documentary series adheres to all Public Televisions production and funding guidelines.

    This national public television series is a nonprofit educational initiative of the Center for Civic Education and Capital Media Group, Inc. At the Center for Civic Education, our mission is to cultivate an informed and thoughtful citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. Today, many Americans look at our society and our political systems and see only division and dysfunction. The Center’s comprehensive approach to civic education provides a strong answer to this challenge, grounded in the principles, practice, and hope every citizen needs.

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    Center for Civic Education