Today we look at the creation and evolution of the two major parties in the US; the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. How did they come about? How did their ideals shift over the last 200+ years? And where might they go next?
These episodes originally aired in 2020, and feature Keneshia Grant, George Will, Kathryn DePalo-Gould, Heather Wagner, Paddy ... Show More
Jul 14
Why is our union so imperfect? (With Jill Lepore)
Pulitzer-prize winning historian and author Jill Lepore has spent her career uncovering the stories we often do not tell, particularly about American history and democracy. In her most recent books, These Truths and We, the People, she asks what really made and makes the United S ... Show More
55m 14s
Jul 3
America's other origin story
This episode is being recorded just a couple of days before the 4th of July, and as so many are calling it, America's 250th birthday. And we here at Civics 101 have spent a lot of this year trying to understand when and how America, as we know it was really born. What is our orig ... Show More
30m 30s
Dec 2023
The Rise & Fall of Political Parties
<p>The two party division of the US political system is as evident as ever as we warm up to the 2024 elections. But where does this state of affairs come from?</p><br><p>Don speaks to Michael Barone, political analyst, historian and journalist, to find out more about the history ... Show More
45m 8s
Sep 2020
Encore: Political Parties | A Tale of Two Parties | 1
In the earliest days of the United States, there was no such thing as an organized political party. George Washington, elected twice to the presidency unanimously in the Electoral College, warned the new nation against political factions, writing that organized parties would beco ... Show More
45m 51s
Sep 2025
#433 — How Did We Get Here?
Sam Harris speaks with Dan Carlin about the decades-long buildup to our current political moment. They discuss the growing powers of the presidency, executive orders, different factions within the Republican Party, the fragmentation of our society, Libertarianism, the growing pro ... Show More
22m 6s
Aug 2023
#329 — What Happened to the Republican Party?
<p>Sam Harris speaks with Bret Stephens about the current state of the Republican Party. They discuss the strange change in Republican attitudes toward Putin, the character of Tucker Carlson, the war in Ukraine, the failures of elites and experts, the tension between concerns abo ... Show More
1 h
Jun 2022
140: Heather Cox Richardson
Jill and Victor are joined by historian and author Heather Cox Richardson for a deep dive into the roots of our current political divisions going back to the Civil War, and the modern prospects for political violence driven by racism, populism, and foreign actors. What will it ta ... Show More
1h 5m