Today in our continued exploration of why the US is the way it is, we get to Article I. Why did the framers design Congress the way they did? Why did the small states come out so far ahead? And what, potentially, would James Madison think if he saw its operation in 2026?
To help us navigate the thoughts of men long-dead, we talk to Madison scholar Jack Ra ... Show More
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
Jun 23
When a flag is against the rules... or the law
In recent years, flag restriction rules, policies and laws have been cropping up across the country. Whether the government is telling you what you can fly or what you cannot, there's always something behind the flag. We dig into how, why and when it's legal for the government to ... Show More
28m 42s
Aug 2025
#429 — The New World Order
<p dir="ltr">Sam Harris speaks with Anne Applebaum about the erosion of democracy at home and abroad. They discuss the Sudanese civil war and the outside forces involved, America's retreat from global leadership, the impacts of USAID cuts, gerrymandering, the integrity of U.S. el ... Show More
26m 52s
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
Oct 2020
The Electoral College
What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it changed? Born from a rushed, fraught, imperfect process, the origins and evolution of the Electoral College might surprise you and make you think differently about not only this upcoming presidential election, but our democracy as ... Show More
57m 7s
Mar 2021
If You Don't Know, Now You Know - Government Compilation
Trevor explores several aspects of government and politics in the U.S., including the history of the Senate filibuster, presidents who lied about their health and pioneering first ladies.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.co ... Show More
35m 25s
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
Feb 2022
BONUS | Happy Presidents’ Day! Or … not?
Students, teachers and historians reflect on what has changed — and should change — about the way we teach presidential history today. This special episode features presidential experts Barbara Perry and Julian Zelizer, “How the Word Is Passed” author Clint Smith, and the AP gove ... Show More
26m 11s