i see matthew, who was instrumental in the design of this building. thank you, matthew. thanks for coming. thanks for teaching me something here. hopefully we have brightened your day. don't get too unhappy later. ok, talk to you soon. [applause] [crowd chatter] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2019] [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> all this month on c-span, we for featured first and second prize winners of our studentcam documentary competition. middle and high school winners made videos answering the question what does it mean to be an american? now it is time to introduce our grand prize winner.

,1th graders from north texas where c-span is available through spectrum. their winning entry is titled "what it means to be american." >> the topic of accountability in government is what we believed was an important topic in describing what it means to be an american. it was something that was clearly -- the thing that surprised both of us was the sheer amount of knowledge and resources made available to us to incorporate in our narrative. atmy part, i was surprised just how much effort and planning goes into producing a documentary. >> we were not trying to make the film that was going to win. we just got a topic we were passionate about and we went with that. >> even now, i'm having trouble processing what this means. it is amazing that this message

will be spread throughout classrooms across the country. >> and we are going to washington, d.c. to drain the swamp. >> to be american means to hold your government accountable. america has a corruption problem. in a recent gallup poll, 75% of american respondents said political corruption is widespread in american government. when an american thinks about political corruption, it is common to think about criminal bribery and illegal money, but that is not all that constitutes it. political corruption can be defined as any abuse of power or distortion of democracy that undermines the interests of the people. so what is the role of citizen accountability in our government? >> we live in a representative democracy. it's essential and definitive of what america means that we hold our representatives accountable. if they don't reflect the people, then the entire concept of the american experiment does not work. the american people are behind,

what happens when you get to dc is a totally different story. >> our obsession with corruption is an american tradition. >> our country was founded by framers who understood that concentrated power is always inimical to liberty. >> so where did this fight against journey make it into the structure and principles of our government? >> the founders believed that only government responsible to the people is just. going back to the very founding moments, that was an essential element of the american creed. >> the declaration of independence says, "we hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal." they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men. that is the purpose of government. deriving their just powers from the consent of the government. >> in the birth of our nation, the founding fathers drew on this quote, the corruption of a republic rests within the corruption of its principles. so where has the united states detracted from this? >> so instead of the textbook

model where you have the executive executing law, judges judging violations, and the legislative making law, you have all three functions combined in bureaucracies and executed largely by people that are not elected. >> it ultimately comes down to who the folks are in power, but the constitution has always provided for evolving to meet progressive goals, and i mean progress as far as a more representative society to be able to give people power and authority over their government as opposed to just a wealthy elite class. >> it is clear that the anxieties of our founding fathers surrounding corruption have not necessarily lived on in our democracy, regardless of how many protests planned, laws passed, and positions lost. the successful fight against corruption's for citizen accountability in government was intended to be a distinct american quality. so what are the disparities? >> there has always been a disconnect when you get to

elected representatives, politicians, once they are in power, and they become dependent. they have to go out and be dependent upon lobbyist contacts or the ways the industry influences their behavior. >> but relationships, when they manifest themselves in the political arena to get things done for one person that is not done for another, it is a form of corruption. >> i think it has pretty clearly gone beyond that in construing the scope of federal power, and has done that by i think distorting the original meaning of the necessary and proper clause which gives congress the power to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution its enumerated powers. it has moved all our politics to the federal level with one-size-fits-all legislative solutions because the federal government has pretty much unlimited power today. >> so how can citizens hold the government accountable for abuses of power and undermining the interests of the people? >> try to convey and fight for as people start thinking of purpose driven decisions instead of partisan driven decisions. the local level you can get in our face and express your view, and you will be heard. so, there is much more access,

which means there is much more accountability. >> taking leadership and introducing reforms that can catch fire and catalyze federal reform. we see it the only way through now is doing this at the state and local level. >> the public can't really stay on top of everything. i mean, a citizen's most important job is to do what they do well and then to vote. i think voting people to represent you and trusting that role to members of congress that you believe in is really as much as anyone has time for, except for a select few. >> we have had almost 80 anticorruption acts, resolutions passed around the country. in ohio this year, anti-gerrymandering. a comprehensive ethics package in alaska. we have seen a win in maine. we have more anticorruption democracy measures on the ballot in november than at any point in american history. i would say like this movement is taking hold and folks are getting the idea that we cannot wait on elected officials to take care of the problem.

>> in short, it all comes down to us. our american institution is one of the most unique in the world where citizens have the powers vested in them to hold the government accountable, rather than just sit around and complain. the greatest thing about the issue of corruption in the united states is that the citizens are vocal in subduing it. in most cases, the people are willing to recognize the nation's flaws even when the politicians do not. this cements the idea of checks and balances not just within power, but between the governed and the government. you may remember the gallup poll at the beginning of this film and the significance is not how widespread corruption actually is, but in how well we seek to keep the government in check. out of the 20 other nations interviewed in a survey, the united states has by far the most pessimistic view on corruption. no matter how many times federal, state, and local governments overstep their power, the citizens are always there to play their part when they are knowledgeable of what they can do. so stand up, participate, and exemplify what it means to be an american by holding your government accountable.

announcer: and you can watch every winning studentcam documentary online at studentcam.org. >> there is a look at what is live the c-span networks. and 9:30, the house comes in for anro forma session, then environmentalist talks about earth day 50th anniversary at the national press club. he is expected to announce a vote for the earth effort ahead of the 2020 presidential election. later, a conversation with supreme court justice supreme prior who is expected to talk about the court process for making decisions and his relations with other members of the court. on c-span2, the senate holds a pro forma session at 9:00. then he will show you -- then we will show you the kaiser forum on trump's initiative to end hiv

in the u.s.. >> tuesday at 7:00 p.m. on c-span, live coverage from george washington's home, mount vernon, talking about c-span's new book "the presidents." noted historians rank the best and worst presidents. 2:30, look tv has live coverage from the museum with historian kenneth ackerman and david stewart talking about the presidents. presidential leadership, tuesday at 7:00 eastern on c-span from mount vernon and saturday on c-span2 from the museum. attorney general william barr will testify before the house and senate judiciary committees on the robert mueller report live wednesday and thursday, may 1 and second on c-span3,

c-span.org, or you can listen with the free c-span radio app. >> monday is the 141st annual white house easter egg role in the south lawn posted by first lady melania trump. here's a look back the festivities with past presidents.

>> i woke up before dawn and already saw the easter bunny walking around, plotting their strategies for the day and getting ready. --ready, set

♪ >>'s everybody ready? ready?verybody

♪

>> ready? on the whistle. on the whistle. ready?uestion mark -- get set. [cheering]

♪ >> is everybody ready? set, go. ready, set -- [applause]

>> thank you, everybody. give that to the press, they can have it. nice to meet you, everybody. >> watch this year's white house easter egg role monday morning

on c-span. event, year, the annual traditionally hosted by the first lady, includes the egg roll and haunt, craft activities, and there will be an area set aside for reading to the children. among those scheduled to read include melania trump, mike sanders, and white house counselor kellyanne conway. participants have been selected through a lottery. the first group allied -- the first group arrives at 7:30 with the final group at 4:45 p.m. c-span's "washington journal" live every day with news and policy issues that impact you. coming up, dennis hayes, cofounder birthday -- cofounder

of earth day discusses the creation of earth day and sustainable development efforts. also political writers to talk .bout the news of the day be sure to watch c-span's "washington journal" live at 7:00 this morning. join the discussion. >> this week on the communicators, james lewis of the center for strategic and international studies talks about the cyber status of russia and china. 1979 made theince illicit acquisition of western technology one of the cardinal points in its program for economic development, technological parity. it will be hard for them to give it up. they continue to siphon off intellectual property, much as they have for the last 20 years using the internet. c-span2.t at 8:00 on

the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. contact --t your what your country can do for you , ask what you can do for your country. >> the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. book -- "theewest presidents: historians rank america's best and worst chief executives" historians rank the chief executives through stories . explore the life events that shaped our leaders, challenges they faced, and the legacies they left behind. public affairs, the book will be on shelvesil