“What even is the Virginia Plan but democracy checked by democracy, or pork with a little change of the sauce?”
This is the story of 55 men from 12 of the 13 sovereign states gathered at the Pennsylvania State House during the miserably hot Philadelphian summer of 1787. They are here to discuss the failing Articles of Confederation. Foreign debts are past du ... Show More
Apr 13
203: The Holocaust: Killing Squads, Ghettos, & Gas Chambers
“The procedure is a pretty barbaric one and not to be described here more definitively. Not much will remain of the Jews.” —Joseph Goebbels This is the story of how the Holocaust becomes industrialized. In January 1942, Nazi leaders discuss what will become the “Final Solution”: ... Show More
1h 8m
Mar 30
202: Holocaust Prologue with US Holocaust Memorial Museum Director, Sara J. Bloomfield
After turning our attention back to Europe in the last few episodes, it’s time to finally examine the Holocaust. Back in episode 185, we covered a broad history of antisemitism in Europe and the violent results of the first few years of Hitler’s reign in Germany, going all the wa ... Show More
48m 21s
Mar 16
201: A Soft Underbelly: The Allied Invasion of Sicily & the Fall of Il Duce
"My dear Duce, it’s no longer any good… At this moment you are the most hated man in Italy.” This is the story of Operations Underworld, Mincemeat, and Husky. On the heels of the decisive Allied victory in Africa, leaders decide to take the fight north. But Hitler and Mussolini s ... Show More
58m 53s
Oct 2012
PREMIUM-Episode 65: The Federalist Papers
On Alexander Hamilton/James Madison's Federalist Papers (1, 10-12, 14-17, 39, 47-51), published as newspaper editorials 1787-8, plus Letters III and IV from Brutus, an Anti-Federalist. What constitutes good government? These founding fathers argued that the proposed Constitution, ... Show More
31m 25s
May 2022
Reconstruction IV: Voting Rights At Last
May 26, 1965. One hundred years after the Civil War, Congress is debating a bill whose goal is to enforce the 15th amendment, which, in 1870, promised the right to vote regardless of race. But that’s not what happened. Now the Civil Rights movement is saying: It’s time to make re ... Show More
44 m
Jul 2021
The 51st state | Tell Me More
The House of Representatives recently voted to make Washington, DC, the 51st state in the union, something many residents have wanted for a long time. Even though momentum is building, the bill probably isn’t going anywhere in the Senate unless Democrats get rid of or change the ... Show More
11m 59s
May 2022
Reconstruction I: Secession on Trial
May 10, 1865. Jefferson Davis is awakened by gunshots. The president of the defeated and disbanded Confederate States of America is on the run, and today, federal troops finally catch him. His arrest puts the face of the Confederacy behind bars. But it also creates a problem for ... Show More
39m 24s
Aug 2023
The Supreme Court Crisis w/ Elie Mystal
Attorney, writer and political commentator Elie Mystal joins Laverne to talk about the radically conservative United States Supreme Court, the constitutional amendments through history and his eye-opening book, Allow Me To Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution. He expla ... Show More
47m 58s
Aug 2022
The Supreme Court's power grab
Sean Illing talks with Harvard Law professor Nikolas Bowie about the U.S. Supreme Court's recently-concluded term, which produced landmark opinions restricting the power of the EPA, expanding gun rights, and overturning Roe v. Wade. They discuss how the conservative court's argum ... Show More
1h 3m