Government
About this Resource
Government contains short videos and lesson plans derived from portions of oral history interviews. Samples of Compelling Questions are used to examine how the three branches of government work, how public policy in a variety of areas is made by governmental bodies. The role of leadership by elected and appointed officials to effect compromise on controversial issues is illuminated.
Bipartisanship and Working Across the Aisle
This 10 minute video was prepared for the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Kansas Oral History Project by former State Representative and Speaker ProTem David Heinemann. The video clips came from interviews in the KOHP archives.
Compare and Contrast Kansas Governors – a lesson plan
In this lesson plan for high school government classes, students will select two oral history interviews from the KOHP Kansas Governors collection or from other oral histories. They will learn research skills and will analyze the videos or transcripts of these interviews in order to draw conclusions about the historical significance of the person and the resulting consequences of that person’s actions.
How the Legislature Works
Video clips from 12 legislators' oral histories as they reflect on how the Kansas Legislature works.
Navigating the Kansas Appellate Court System
This lesson plan for high school government classes uses excerpts from the oral history interview of former Justice Carol Beier to explain how the courts work and their function as one of the three branches of government..
The Arc of Water Policy
Joe Harkins, former director of the Kansas Water Office and Mike Hayden, former Governor of Kansas, discussed the arc of policymaking in the context of water policy. Both pointed to the importance of state leaders who saw the availability of good quality water as an important issue for the state. Both also pointed to the ebb and flow of interest in the issue as leaders changed through the electoral process.
What Kansas Courts Do
Retired Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier explains in this short video how the courts are different from the other two branches of state government and how the Supreme Court works to preserve the rule of law.
What Kansas Governors Do
Excerptes from the oral history interviews of two Kansas Governors, Kathleen Sebelius and Bill Graves, to illustrate how each of these popular, two-term governors navigated the political waters. Topics include budgets, school finance, working with a cabinet, court mandates.