FREE ONLINE COURSES
Is the U.S. Government
a Democracy or a republic?
How does it work?
Can we trust it?
Should we?
Relevant, Practical, Nonpartisan, Knowledge
PRACTICAL: "What and when" are transformed from trivia to practical working knowledge with the addition of "why and how."
NON-PARTISAN: We advocate only for free and fair political competition with winners accountable to voters. We do not advocate for political candidates or parties.
KNOWLEDGE: Our team includes professionals who have participated in government or promoted democracy around the world. Our reviewers include civics experts, professors of U.S. history, constitutional law, political science and other applicable fields.
Expert Reviewers
We strive to ensure each of our courses is of the highest quality. Each course has been reviewed by at least one if not several experts in civic education, U.S. history, constitutional law, political science, or other applicable fields.
Jay Barth
M.E. and Ima Graves Peace Distinguished Professor of Politics, Emeritus;
Hendrix College
Cheryl Cook-Kallio
State Coordinator for California We the People and Project Citizen
Matthew Crenson
Professor Emeritus and Academy Professor,
John Hopkins University
Jennifer Dresden
Associate Director, Democracy and Governance Program
Georgetown University
Benjamin Ginsberg,
David Bernstein Professor of Political Science,
Johns Hopkins University
Mark J. Molli
Associate Director (Retired)
Center for Civic Education
Kenneth Newton
Professor of Comparative Politics, Emeritus
University of Southampton
Sonja Zmerli
Professor of Political Science
Sciences Po Grenoble
Our Team
We are drawn from conservative, progressive and independent thinkers. Our ages range from low 20s through the 80s. Most of our board members have deep experience in teaching or promoting democracy around the world, and some have been actively involved in politics at the local, state, and national levels.
Our Partnership
Our Short Courses
Course 1
Course 2
Democracy is Precious
Course 3
What Should Governments Do For Us?
Course 4
Fear & Fear-Mongering
Course 5
Political Trust & Distrust
Course 6
The Presidency
Our courses are free for everyone only with help from good people like you.
“Liberty cannot be preserved without general knowledge among the people.” –John Adams
The Center for Free, Fair, and Accountable Democracy is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
EIN: 83-1505463
CFFAD is non-partisan. We do not participate in, or intervene in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for public office.
Financial statements are available from the State Division of Consumer Affairs, Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services, P.O. Box 1163, Richmond, VA 23218.
What Weird New Case Involved the Separation of Powers?
Sometimes, lawsuits include surprising lessons about how our government is meant to work. The State of New Mexico v. Alexander Rae Baldwin (2023) certainly does. The case has yet to be decided and CFFAD has no opinion on what the fact are, nor what the ruling should be. That said, CFFAD was amazed to learn that the special prosecutor was
Student Loans & Separation of Powers
What does the separation of powers have to do with student loan forgiveness?
Thoughts About MLK Day 2023
Some things to think about on MLK Day and every day.
Bill of Rights Day: Dec. 15
Why does the Bill of Rights matter? Find out here!
Check Out Our Course on the Presidency
When the framers created the presidency, they were intent on solving two trust-related problems. One problem was how to harness political competition for the public good without the polarizing consequences they observed in England and Europe. The other problem was how to balance the need for an empowered executive to get things done against the risk of a tyrannical executive.