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What do you really know about American government, the Constitution, and your rights as a citizen?
Civics in a Year is a fast-paced podcast series that delivers essential civic knowledge in just 10 minutes per episode. Over the course of a year, we’ll explore 250 key questions—from the founding documents and branches of government to civil liberties, elections, and public participation.
Rooted in the Civic Literacy Curriculum from the Center for American Civics at Arizona State University, this series is a collaborative project supported by the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. Each episode is designed to spark curiosity, strengthen constitutional understanding, and encourage active citizenship.
Whether you're a student, educator, or lifelong learner, Civics in a Year will guide you through the building blocks of American democracy—one question at a time.
77 Episodes
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Start with a myth-buster: the First Amendment wasn’t originally first. We open the door to the real story behind the Bill of Rights—how a wary public demanded assurances, how Madison turned state models into national guarantees, and why the most overlooked provisions may be the ones that guard your freedom most effectively. Together we map the logic that shaped the first ten amendments: eight that name individual rights and two that anchor the Constitution’s core design—limited, enumerated fe...
We explore how three clauses—and what’s left unsaid—shaped slavery’s legal status at the founding while pointing toward its moral illegitimacy. Dr. Michael Zuckert traces the tension between federal structure, state authority, and the Declaration’s promise of equality, and follows that thread to Reconstruction. • abolitionist charge of a pro‑slavery Constitution vs Lincoln’s limited‑accommodation view • three clauses: three‑fifths, slave trade to 1808, fugitive return • deliberate omission o...
The Constitution didn’t materialize from harmony; it was hammered out line by line by people who disagreed on almost everything except one urgent fact: the Articles weren’t working. We sit down with Julie Silverbrook, Vice President of Civic Education at the National Constitution Center, to unpack how compromise created a nation—its brilliance, its fractures, and its moral costs. We start in 1787, where large and small states, commercial and agricultural interests, and slaveholding and non‑s...
What if the Constitution wasn’t meant to be a relic, but a living commitment we change only when we truly mean it? We dig into Article V with Dr. Sean Beienburg to unpack how the Constitution can be amended, why the framers chose supermajorities over unanimity, and how states can pressure Congress when Washington stalls. Along the way, we separate constitutional law from the Constitution itself, clarifying what courts can interpret—and what only the people can change. We trace the two propos...
Think you already know how the Electoral College works? We go past the headlines to unpack why the system blends popular voice with state power, how states gained wide discretion over electors, and why most adopted winner-take-all rules. With Dr. Sean Beienberg, we trace the original “filtering” idea, show how party pledges transformed elector behavior, and examine the math that makes electoral-popular vote splits more likely when the House size is capped. We also stress-test the biggest cri...
What exactly does the Constitution's Necessary and Proper Clause allow Congress to do? Dr. Beienburg cuts through centuries of debate to reveal the true nature of this misunderstood provision. The podcast begins by addressing a common misconception—the name "Elastic Clause" originated not from the Constitution's defenders but from its critics seeking to portray it as dangerously expansive. Dr. Beinberg walks us through Article 1, Section 8's actual language, explaining that this provision co...
A lot of people say the Constitution is outdated; fewer can explain how its design actually came to be. We walk through the ideas that turned Enlightenment philosophy into a durable framework: why the founders insisted on a written constitution, how separation of powers disciplines ambition, and what makes federalism a bold way to scale a republic across a continent without flattening local life. Along the way, we unpack the surprising truth that America embraced a moderate Enlightenment—open...
The most famous three words in American politics aren’t the whole story. We take “We the People” and follow it through the full Preamble to see how six clear aims—union, justice, domestic tranquility, common defense, general welfare, and the blessings of liberty—turn revolutionary ideals into a working constitutional order. Along the way, we revisit the turmoil of the Articles of Confederation, the shock of Shays’ Rebellion, and the founders’ wager that a real federal government could do what...
Federalism represents the fundamental division of power between the federal government and states, serving as a core animating feature of American government since the Revolution. Dr. Sean Beienburg explores how this constitutional principle works, its history, and why it remains crucial in today's polarized political environment. • Federalism means power is divided, with most authority remaining with states rather than the central government • The Constitution grants "few and defined" power...
The architecture of American democracy didn't happen by accident. In this illuminating episode of Civics in a Year, Dr. Sean Beienberg reveals how the Constitution's system of checks and balances creates a government resistant to tyranny yet capable of action. Starting with the fundamental concept of separation of powers—where different branches handle lawmaking, execution, and adjudication—Dr. Beienberg explains how the founders went further by giving each branch "defensive interventions" i...
Political violence doesn’t appear out of nowhere; it grows in the shadows of dehumanizing talk, outrage incentives, and the belief that ordinary politics no longer works. We take that trend head‑on with Jeff Davis, program director for civic education at the Center for American Civics at Arizona State University, to unpack why language matters, how persuasion gets crowded out, and what we can practically do to rebuild trust in elections and constitutional processes. We start by mapping the p...
Power division is at the heart of America's constitutional system, yet few truly understand its ingenious architecture. Dr. Sean Beienberg breaks down this complex framework, revealing how the founders created a government designed not for gridlock but for balance—preventing tyranny while enabling effective governance. Drawing from James Madison's Federalist 51, Dr. Beienberg illuminates the "double security" built into our constitutional structure. The Constitution first divides authority v...
How do you build a nation from scratch? The founders didn't work in a vacuum—they had living laboratories in the form of state constitutions. These documents, written during the revolutionary fervor after 1776, provided crucial lessons about what worked—and what spectacularly failed—in constitutional design. Dr. Beienberg walks us through the fascinating contrast between two state constitutions that shaped America's founding document. The Pennsylvania Constitution 1776, drafted in revolution...
The delicate balance between federal power and state sovereignty has defined American governance since its founding. Dr. Beienberg returns to explore the crucial evolution from the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, revealing subtleties often overlooked in standard historical narratives. Rather than a simple shift from "weak" to "strong" government, Dr. Beinberg articulates how the Constitution created a "stronger government" that preserved federalism while addressing specific de...
The Articles of Confederation are often dismissed as America's failed first attempt at self-government, but there's a richer story hiding beneath this simplified narrative. Dr. Sean Beienberg takes us on a fascinating journey through America's original governing document, revealing its strengths and weaknesses with remarkable clarity. What exactly were the Articles of Confederation? Far from the strong national government we know today, they created what Dr. Beinberg describes as a "league o...
Remember when you were a kid and tried to build something complicated for the first time? It rarely worked perfectly on the first attempt. The United States had a similar experience with its first government system. The Articles of Confederation represented America's first attempt at self-government after winning independence from Britain. While this early rulebook successfully brought the thirteen colonies together during the Revolutionary War and established Congress as a meeting place for...
Why do Supreme Court justices turn to 235-year-old political essays when deciding modern cases? This riveting exploration with Dr. Sean Beienberg reveals how the Federalist Papers continue to shape constitutional interpretation centuries after their publication. The Federalist Papers serve a dual purpose in today's legal landscape. First, they explain the Constitution's institutional design, where the document remains sparse. Dr. Beienberg notes, "They do a terrific job articulating and expl...
Few Americans have transformed our nation's trajectory quite like Sandra Day O'Connor. Born on an Arizona ranch where she learned resilience and grit, her journey to becoming the first woman on the Supreme Court reveals both personal determination and the evolving story of American democracy itself. Sandra Day grew up on the 200,000-acre Lazy Bee Ranch, developing problem-solving skills and persistence that would define her remarkable career. Despite graduating third in her class from Stanfo...
We explore the critical debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists that shaped America's founding and governmental structure in the late 1780s after the Revolutionary War. Their competing visions for the new nation's power structure ultimately resulted in both a strong constitutional framework and explicit protections for individual rights. • Federalists like Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay advocated for a strong central government to maintain national unity and security...
Dr. Paul Carrese returns to Civics in a Year for a profound conversation about what modern Americans can learn from the debates between Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the Constitution's ratification. This eye-opening discussion reveals how America's core identity has always been defined not by ethnic or religious homogeneity, but by a commitment to principled debate among free people who disagree yet remain united in a shared national project. The great paradox of American democracy...
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