American Experience

The American Vice President

The American Vice President tells the little-known story of the second-highest office in the land, tracing its evolution from a constitutional afterthought to a position of political consequence. Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh perspective on succession in the executive branch.

The American Vice President

52m 36s

The American Vice President tells the little-known story of the second-highest office in the land, tracing its evolution from a constitutional afterthought to a position of political consequence. Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh perspective on succession in the executive branch.

Previews + Extras

  • History's Veepstakes: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    History's Veepstakes

    S36 E6 - 5m 2s

    Whether aiming to strike a balance or make a splash, choosing the right running mate can make or break a presidential campaign.

  • How the vice presidency went from pitiful to powerful: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    How the vice presidency went from pitiful to powerful

    S36 E6 - 2m 33s

    America’s first vice president, John Adams, called his job “the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived.” But that would change dramatically over the next two and a half centuries.

  • Gerald Ford's First White House: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Gerald Ford's First White House

    S36 E6 - 1m 37s

    When President Gerald Ford was inaugurated in 1974, the Nixons hadn’t had time to move out of the White House yet. So for ten days, the “White House” was an unassuming colonial home in suburban Alexandria, Virginia.

  • Trailer | The American Vice President: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Trailer | The American Vice President

    S36 E6 - 2m 3s

    The American Vice President tells the little-known story of the second-highest office in the land, tracing its evolution from a constitutional afterthought to a position of political consequence. Focusing on the fraught period between 1963 and 1974, the film examines the passage and first uses of the 25th Amendment and offers a fresh perspective on succession in the executive branch.

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