Civics In A Year

We trace how a bid for New Orleans became a continental purchase while we test Jefferson’s strict constitutional views against Madison’s steadier reading of treaty and territorial powers. Europe’s war...

18 Feb 13min

We trace how a bitter tie, backroom assurances, and a soft-spoken inauguration produced a peaceful transfer of power and a new model of the presidency. Jefferson’s famous unity line meets the hard edg...

17 Feb 14min

Power isn’t magic, and the presidency isn’t a throne. We sit down with Sharon McMahon—former government teacher, civic educator, and New York Times bestselling author—to unpack the biggest myths about...

16 Feb 33min

Start at the glass cases that hold the nation’s promises, then step outside into a lawn where those promises are tested every day. We take you on the America 250 walking tour across the National Mall,...

13 Feb 13min

Fear, speech, and state power collide when Congress passes the Alien and Sedition Acts—and two southern legislatures answer back. We sit down with Dr. Beyenberg to unpack the Kentucky and Virginia Res...

12 Feb 17min

Want a clearer view of how American democracy actually works? We’re changing gears and stepping inside the story by reading the original words that built it: letters, speeches, court opinions, laws, a...

11 Feb 3min

The neat story about the South “flipping” after the 1960s sounds satisfying—until you stack it against voting patterns, platforms, and constitutional arguments that tell a slower, messier tale. We tak...

10 Feb 15min

A wall of names can change how you see yourself—and your country. Walking the National Mall with our guide Jeremy Goldstein, we explore how the World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veter...

6 Feb 18min