Civics 101

America's other origin story 03.07.2026 30min

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 origin story? Why are we like this? And why don't we talk about the empire that was here before the United States? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why is Congress like this? 30.06.2026 28min

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 Rakove. He shares his insights on representation, the electoral college, and much more. Click here to listen to our episode on the Articles of Confederation, our shaggy dog of a first draft of government! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When a flag is against the rules... or the law 23.06.2026 28min

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 decide what you can or cannot fly and hear from Halifax, Massachusetts, about what a flag controversy revealed about that town. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lessons from the American Revolution (with Ken Burns) 16.06.2026 46min

Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein spent nearly a decade making a twelve-hour documentary on the American Revolution. This is what they learned from the thousands of stories and events that resulted in the United States of America. It's a story of world-changing ideas, contradictory figures, myths that do us no good and what it means to be in pursuit of a more perfect union. You can watch Ken Burns The American Revolution on PBS, PBS.org and the free PBS app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How to Make Things Better 09.06.2026 28min

Today we complete our trio of episodes in collaboration with iCivics, where we explore why people of myriad groups are having a tough time, civics-wise. In this episode, we tell you how to eradicate your cynicism and make a difference. First, we share Jill Lepore's presentation on conventions; how we used to interact with our many constitutions. And then, we talk with Eitan Hersh. Eitan is the author of Politics Is for Power: How to Move Beyond Political Hobbyism, Take Action, and Make Real Change. He tells us what works (and what doesn't) when it comes to engaging in politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did we get so red, white and blue? 02.06.2026 28min

Whether you fly it, wear it or want nothing to do with it, the American flag says a lot in and about the United States. Red, white and blue is far from exclusive to our nation and yet it is very much our brand... and very much branded on anything we can think to put it on. So where did the American obsession with our flag come from? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Students Are Having a Tough Time 26.05.2026 27min

Today we share our second installment on why things are tough in the civics world. Specifically, we talk about how students are doing in civics classrooms and on national assessments. But! It's not all bad news. Shawn Healey (Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer at iCivics) takes us through the myriad state bills that are currently in the legislative process which will affect civic education, and we hear from three students (Ava-June Tackett, Shreya Raman, and Ben Kurian) on what they think can improve civic learning and reduce partisanship. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How making people wait sparked the American Revolution 19.05.2026 43min

Once upon a time, American British colonists were separated from power, decision-making, culture and information by thousands of miles and many weeks. As Helena Yoo-Roth puts it, time flowed evenly outward from the homeland. This is the story of waiting, longing and realizing that time might just be on our side as we approached the American Revolutionary War. Helena Yoo-Roth is the author of the forthcoming American Timelines: Imperial Communications, Colonial Time-Consciousness, and the Coming of the American Revolution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Teachers Are Having a Tough Time 12.05.2026 28min

This is the first episode in a series we are doing with iCivics, who invited us to their National Forum for Civic Learning Week. Today we share the many conversations we had with civics and social studies teachers from across the country, and we explore the results from a nationwide survey on what they're going through right now. And, finally, what could be done to help them? To learn more about iCivics and their myriad resources for teachers and students, visit them at https://ed.icivics.org. To read about the survey conducted by iCivics, click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What did the world really think about the Declaration of Independence? 05.05.2026 32min

For Americans today, it's a treasure. Scripture. The thing that made us. It wasn't always that way, though. This is the story of the Declaration of Independence before it was enshrined in our collective national consciousness. Back when it was a news headline and we had no control what others thought of it. Our guest is Emily Sneff, author of When the Declaration of Independence was News. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ask a Judge: What is Pro Se? 28.04.2026 24min

What is the process when a person wishes to represent themselves in court? How common is it? Is it true that a person who represents themselves "has a fool for a client?" Today in our "Ask a Judge" series, attorney and magistrate Amy Lin Meyerson and "small town lawyer" Ray Williams give tips for those who have no choice but to address the court on their own behalf. Here is the American Bar Association's virtual legal advice clinic (staffed by human legal minds, not AI!): https://abafreelegalanswers.org/ DONATE TO THE PODCAST HERE! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What's the Strait of Hormuz? And how do blockades work? 21.04.2026 23min

You've been hearing about it in the news, but what exactly is the Strait of Hormuz? And as for those blockades...how do they work? DONATE TO THE PODCAST HERE. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How did federal income taxes get this way? 14.04.2026 39min

We haven't always had a federal income tax, and in the beginning, it only applied to the very richest Americans. So how did we end up with the permanent income tax we have today, with all its complicated rules about everything from pre-tax income to deductions and credits? And what does it actually pay for? DONATE TO THE SHOW! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is the 25th Amendment? 09.04.2026 29min

Sometimes, news happens in the real world, and suddenly a political or civics topic becomes very top of mind for members of the public. And when that happens, we at Civics 101 often say, hey…we have an episode about that. DONATE TO THE SHOW! One of those conversations happened this week, after a tweet from President Trump related to the war in Iran had some conservative, traditionally pro-Trump voices evoking a specific part of the Constitution - the 25th Amendment. Back in 2022, we made an episode breaking down the 25th Amendment, and it’s pretty thorough about its history and what it means. So, given that it’s on folks’ minds right now, we’ve decided to drop that episode again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Raw Milk Question 07.04.2026 36min

Today we bring you a story from our sister podcast Outside/In, produced and reported by Marina Henke. DONATE TO THE PODCAST! In 2009, the state of Maine ordered farmer Dan Brown to stop selling his raw milk. It kicked off a five-year legal battle that stoked the flames of Maine’s dairy wars. But, after Farmer Brown lost his case and hung up his milking hat, things quieted down. Twenty years later, raw milk has surged back into the zeitgeist. Influencers are saying it tastes like ice cream, RFK Jr. is taking shots of it at the White House, and Gwyneth Paltrow is putting it in her coffee. All of which makes for a pretty obvious question… What’s the appeal? Is raw milk some kind of superfood? Or something to avoid at all costs? Featuring Dan Brown, Andy Bisson, Danny Bisson, Nicole Martin, Pamela Ruegg, and Mary McGonigle-Martin. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can American elections be "nationalized"? What does that mean? 31.03.2026 34min

In this country, the states run elections. Congress is empowered to step in; the president is not. So what does it mean for the president to call on a political party to "take over." Is that allowed? What would that mean? And why is this happening now? DONATE TO THE PODCAST! We talk with Sarah Cooper from the Carter Center to understand who is in charge and whether anyone else can take charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why are we paying more for gas right now? 24.03.2026 22min

Four years ago we made an episode about how the president has very limited powers when it comes to lowering the price of gas. Turns out, we hadn't considered every possibility. Today, we talk about how a president can make gasoline more expensive, by waging conflict in the middle east. Our guest is Robert Rapier, chemical engineer, investment writer, and energy sector expert. He came back on the show to tell us about the logistics of Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, and whether there are any ways out of this. Click here for our other episode on the price of gas, and read Robert's article here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Someone oughta open up a window 17.03.2026 30min

Today we take a field trip to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where Nick explains why he's like this via an obsession with 1776, the movie based on the musical based on the true events that launched a nation. Our nation. Also, Nick and Hannah get real using Dido as inspiration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Civic Role of Religious Leaders 11.03.2026 30min

Why do religious leaders step out from behind the pulpit and take to the streets? What does it mean to practice what you preach? As faith groups across the nation stand alongside protestors and assert their beliefs, we talk to four religious leaders about how and why they take action. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you really mad? What can you do about that? 03.03.2026 48min

As hosts of a civics podcast, we are not allowed to advocate for policy. But you can. Here are three things you can do to get your elected officials to listen when you're mad about something. By way of example, Nick reveals his pettiest, most apolitical gripe; and methods he would hypothetically use to address it. We talk lobbying, contacting your electeds, and getting (possibly famous) people together to advocate for change. This episode features Emily Gallagher, serving District 50 in the New York State Assembly, and Eric Schwartz, of the National Film Preservation Foundation. Here is Eric's piece on the National Film Preservation Act of 1988. Here is our episode on Who REALLY Writes Bills. Here is a video of Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie complaining about the soap opera effect. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices