# We the People (2021 TV series)

We the People is a 2021 American animated educational limited television series aiming to teach kids about civics. Each episode is a 4-5 minute animated music video by a popular performer. Created by Chris Nee, who executive produced it with Kenya Barris and Barack & Michelle Obama, the series premiered on July 4, 2021 on Netflix.

## Episodes

| No. | Title | Directed by | Original release date |
| 1 | "Active Citizenship" | Peter Ramsey | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about citizenship; performed by H.E.R. ||||
| 2 | "The Bill of Rights" | Trisha Gum | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about the bill of rights; performed by Adam Lambert. ||||
| 3 | "Taxes" | Victoria Vincent | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about taxes; performed by Cordae. Produced by Take a Daytrip. ||||
| 4 | "The Three Branches of Government" | Benjy Brooke | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about the three branches of government: legislature, executive, and judiciary; performed by Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Daveed Diggs, Brittany Howard, Robert Lopez, and Lin-Manuel Miranda. ||||
| 5 | "The First Amendment" | Mabel Ye | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about the First Amendment; performed by Brandi Carlile. ||||
| 6 | "Federal vs State Power" | Tim Rauch | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about the differences in federal power and state power; performed by Kyle. ||||
| 7 | "Immigration" | Jorge Gutierrez | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about immigration; performed by Bebe Rexha. ||||
| 8 | "The Courts" | Daron Nefcy | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song about court cases; performed by Andra Day. ||||
| 9 | "We The People" | Everett Downing | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A song performed by Janelle Monáe. ||||
| 10 | "The Miracles of Morning" | Kendra Ryan | July 4, 2021 (2021-07-04) |
| A music video based around Amanda Gorman delivering her "The Hill We Climb" poem at the Inauguration of Joe Biden back in January 2021. ||||

## Production

We the People was conceived by Chris Nee at a dinner party in Los Angeles, California in November 2018. Nee cites Schoolhouse Rock! as one of the most significant inspirations for the series. H.E.R. described working alongside the Obamas on the series as a "life-changing" experience.

## Release

We the People was released on Netflix on July 4, 2021.

## Reception

The series received a mixed reception. Caroline Framke of Variety described the series as "well-meaning", but "not especially illuminating in the way it would like to be". Ashley Moulton of Common Sense Media called the series "Modern Schoolhouse Rock" and argued it "makes great bops from U.S. civics." She also said that the videos are "generally non-partisan, but [that] some of the content leans slightly left" and called it a "superlative effort from a diverse group of talented creators."
The series was nominated for a GLAAD Award in Outstanding Children's Programming.

### Accolades

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
| 2022 | 53rd NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Animated Series | We the People | Won |
| 2022 | 49th Annie Awards | Best Animated Television Production for Children | We the People (Episode: "Active Citizenship") – Laughing Wild, Higher Ground Productions, Netflix | Nominated |
| 2022 | 49th Annie Awards | Outstanding Achievement for Character Animation in an Animated Television / Broadcast Production | We the People (Episode: "Active Citizenship") – Stephen Loveluck | Nominated |
| 2022 | 33rd GLAAD Media Awards | Outstanding Children's Programming | We The People | Nominated |
| 2022 | 1st Children's and Family Emmy Awards | Outstanding Short Form Program | Kenya Barris, Antonio Canobbio, Nick Carmen, Tonia Davis, Ben Kalina, Joe Nash, Chris Nee, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Chris Prynoski, Shannon Prynoski, Emily Ricard, Priya Swaminathan, Justin Harris, Billy Mack, Ada Chiaghana, Will Feng, Jess Pierik, Erynn Sampson, Peedee Shindell, Tim Rauch, Benjy Brook, Everett Downing, Trisha Gum, Daron Nefcy, Jorge R. Gutierrez, Peter Ramsey, Kendra Ryan, Victoria Vincent, Mabel Ye, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Andra Day, H.E.R., Denzel Michael-Akil Baptiste, Brandi Carlile, Ronald Colson, Cordae Dunston, Oak Felder, Jeff Gitelman, Amanda Gorman, Kay Hanley, David Harris, Kyle Harvey, Nathaniel Irvin, III, Scott Krippayne, Michelle Lewis, Robert Lopez, David Charles Marshall Biral, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Maxx Moore, Janelle Monáe Robinson, Daniel Petty, Michael “Smidi” Smith and Tim van Berkestijn | Won |