You've probably heard about The Red Scare - the panic around the perceived threat of communism during the Cold War. But The Lavender Scare is lesser known. This was a time when the federal government investigated, persecuted and fired thousands of LGBTQ+ employees, calling them security risks and threats to the country. In this episode of Civics 101, we'll dive into the origin and timeline of the Lavender Scare, meet the man who pushed back and started a movement, and learn about the ripple effe...
Jan 03, 2023•42 min
How does something go from an annual tradition to a mandated day off? Who decides to make a holiday official? Today we're taking a look at everything from Christmas to National Walk Around Things Day, from our twelve official federal holidays to some day made up by a sock company. Our guides to the holiday season are Jeff Bensch, author of History of American Holidays, and JerriAnne Boggis, Executive Director of the Black Heritage Trail of New Hampshire. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHEC...
Dec 27, 2022•26 min
Today we answer this question from a listener, "Is Santa a criminal?" We get to the bottom of the myriad actions of the jolly old elf, and whether he could reasonably be tried for civil and criminal violations, including but not limited to trespassing, breaking and entering, voyeurism, stalking, surveillance, burglary, tax evasion, bad labor practices, emotional distress, and (in one instance) involuntary manslaughter. Taking us through this complex web of charges is Colin Miller , professor at ...
Dec 20, 2022•23 min
When a monarch dies, power stays in the family. But what about a president? It was a tricky question that the founders left mostly to Congress to figure out later. Lana Ulrich , of the National Constitution Center, and Linda Monk , constitutional scholar and author of The Bill of Rights: A User's Guide, explain the informal rules that long governed the transition of presidential power, and the 25th Amendment, which outlines what should happen if a sitting president dies, resigns, or becomes unab...
Dec 13, 2022•26 min
What does the Constitution say about who is allowed to be president? And why is the answer to that question still a little unclear? Brady Carlson , host of All Things Considered at Wisconsin Public Radio and author of Dead Presidents. explains the formal and informal rules that govern who is allowed to become Commander-in-Chief. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newslet...
Dec 06, 2022•21 min
Propaganda is a piece of information designed to make you think or do something specific. So how does it work? Today on Civics 101, John Maxwell Hamilton (professor and author of Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda ) and Jennifer Mercieca (professor and author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump ) take us through the Federalist Papers, the Committee on Public Intelligence, the Four Minute Men, amygdala highjacking, and the my...
Nov 29, 2022•29 min
What does a person get after the U.S. presidency’s over and done with? We answer a question from listener Patrick, who asks if former presidents get anything special. Do they ever, and we lay out the perks of having once held the highest office in the land. Please note: an earlier version of this episode stated that Harry Truman was the only living president at the passage of the 1958 Former Presidents Act. Former President Herbert Hoover was also still living at the time of the passage of this ...
Nov 22, 2022•31 min
The White House Press Corps wasn't always such an organized bunch. In this episode, we'll dive into the history and evolution of reporters in the White House. Plus, the how the role of Press Secretary was created, how it's evolved, and how the relationship between POTUS and the press has shifted over the centuries. Guests: NPR's Scott Horsely and Mara Liasson Get more Civics 101 by signing up for our free newsletter ! Want to donate to the show? Click here! CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND C...
Nov 15, 2022•41 min
There's a complaint we get pretty often around here, that our tagline contains the word "democracy," but the United States is *actually* a republic. So...do we need to make a change? What did the framers think about democracy? How do we compare to Athens and Rome? And finally, how democratic are we anyways? Guests: Juliet Hooker : Royce Professor, Teaching Excellence in Political Science at Brown University Paul Frymer : Professor of Politics, Princeton University Click here for our episode on w...
Nov 08, 2022•24 min
There are three American myths that define "Americanness." The frontier, the melting pot and the "self-made man." They're concepts that define how we are to think about transformation, progress and possibility in America. They also rarely hold up. Heike Paul, author of The Myths That Made America, is our guide to the stories we tell about how it is in this country (even when it isn't.) CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of ou...
Nov 01, 2022•22 min
In this episode we take a closer look at four well-worn stories: that of Christopher Columbus, Pocahontas, the Pilgrims and Puritans and the Founding Fathers and ask what is actually true. They're our foundational origin myths, but why? And since when? Author Heike Paul, author of The Myths That Made America, is our guide. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, g...
Nov 01, 2022•37 min
Senior Producer Christina Phillips puts Nick and Hannah to the test in this trivia face off! Play along as our co-hosts prove their mettle (and also don't) and learn a little something while you're at it. Featuring Nick as Christopher Walken... with apologies to Mr. Walken. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! To see Ci...
Oct 25, 2022•39 min
This is a featured conversation from Future Hindsight, a podcast with a simple premise: civic participation is essential to a functioning democracy. So how do we do it? In this episode, host Mila Atmos speaks with Sung Yeon Choimorrow, the executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, about Asian American stereotypes, changing the narrative about who Asian-Americans are, and activating Asian communities to take civic action. You can find so many more conversations that...
Oct 18, 2022•38 min
In September 2022, Hannah sat down with NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent for a show called Writers on a New England Stage. This is an excerpt from their conversation. Nina discusses her new book, Dinners with Ruth, focusing on her career as a journalist and her relationship with late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. You can catch the whole conversation at nhpr.org. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, ...
Oct 11, 2022•36 min
The Fifth Amendment's self-incrimination clause says that no person "shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself." Basically, it means that the government, or law enforcement, can't force you to talk to implicate yourself in a crime. However, what that looks like in practice... is a little more messy. When do you have a right to remain silent? When do you become a suspect? What does compulsion look like? Can your silence be used against you? We talk about how the Supr...
Oct 04, 2022•45 min
From the Presidential Oath of Office to the Oath of Allegiance to sworn testimony, Americans take an awful lot of oaths. Today we explore the history of oaths in the US, the linguistic tinkering that's happened to oaths of office over the last few centuries and the repercussions of breaking an oath. For anyone interested in a deeper dive into the Pledge of Allegiance and the American flag, as well as how statutes regarding them and your First Amendment rights have intermingled, check out our ear...
Sep 27, 2022•22 min
In 1968, a raucous Democratic nominating convention was overshadowed only by the shouts outside to end the war. This is the story of how eight different protestors from very different walks of life ended up before an increasingly indignant judge and walked away scot-free -- but not before putting on a good show. Our guests are Victor Goode of CUNCY School of Law, Jeet Heer , national affairs correspondent for The Nation and Jeanne Barr, history teacher at the Francis W. Parker School in Chicago....
Sep 20, 2022•49 min
The presidential veto is a powerful tool, but just how powerful it is depends on political context, timing, and party alignment. We'll pull back the curtain on the origin of the veto, how it works, and discuss moments when vetoes have had a real impact on our history. And yes, we'll even find out what the deal is with that pen. Our guests are Dr. Gisela Sin of the University of Illinois, and Ken Kato , a former historian at the U.S. House of Representatives. Do you love our work? Make a donation...
Sep 13, 2022•30 min
In preparation for the upcoming midterms, we talk about lies. This is the true story of the fake world created in disinformation campaigns. The voting populace spreads it like there's no tomorrow, without ever knowing what's real. We tell you what it is and how to avoid it. Our guests today are Samantha Lai of the Brookings Institute and Peter Adams of the News Literacy Project . If you believe in what we're doing (and think it's true!) consider donating. It really does speak your truth. CLICK H...
Sep 06, 2022•35 min
The House and the Senate have mostly the same powers: they both propose and vote on bills that may become law. So why does the House have 435 members, and the Senate have 100? Why does legislation have to pass through both sides, and what kinds of power do each have individually? And finally: what role do you, as a voter, play in ensuring that Congress, and your Congressional delegation, is working in your best interests? This episode features the opinions of former staffers from both chambers, ...
Aug 30, 2022•31 min
Since its passage after World War I, thousands of people have been investigated for violating the Espionage Act, including Julian Assange, Daniel Ellsberg, and Donald Trump. However, only two people have been executed for violating it during peacetime; Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. This episode features Anne Sebba, author of Ethel Rosenberg: A Cold War Tragedy, and Jake Kobrick, Associate Historian at the Federal Judicial Center. It explains the Espionage Act of 1917, the accusations against the R...
Aug 23, 2022•26 min
Know your candidates and causes, find your polling place, have a plan! There are plenty of small steps you can take to be ready for the midterm election. But if you want to know what they're about and why they matter? Look and listen no further. Keith Hughes (with some help from Cheryl Cook-Kallio and Dan Cassino) tells us the five things you need to know about midterms. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, don...
Aug 16, 2022•24 min
Today we're opening our new series on famous trials in the Federal Courts. In this case, United States v Burr, the judge and jury had to decide whether to convict former VP Aaron Burr for the crime of treason. Taking us on the journey are Christine Lamberson, Director of History at the Federal Judicial Center, and Nancy Isenberg, professor at LSU and author of Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr. This trial has everything . Washington Irving, epaulets, a subpoenaed president, and a letter hid...
Aug 09, 2022•28 min
Since our nation's founding, the federal government has borrowed money from other governments, private investors, and businesses in order to operate. Over the last century, the debt ceiling, a Congressional cap on how much debt we can have, keeps getting higher and higher. We talk about how the national debt works, how it's been used as political leverage, and how that impacts the health of our economy. Louise Sheiner , senior economics fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Michael Dorf , Con...
Aug 02, 2022•23 min
Voting in America is not always straightforward, nor is its impact always clear. In this episode, we give you the basic tools to vote on Election Day, including tips for avoiding the roadblocks. And for those of you on the fence about exercising that enfranchisement, a word to the wise: your vote matters. Featuring: Kim Wehle , professor of law at the University of Baltimore School of Law Andrea Hailey, CEO of vote.org CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO OUR AWESOME NEWSLETTER, EXTRA CREDIT! LOVE OUR WOR...
Jul 26, 2022•20 min
The United States is a representative democracy. The idea is that we’re a government " by the people" (we vote officials into office) and " for the people" (the officials in office are supposed to represent our interests). But it’s not so straightforward around here. LOVE OUR WORK? Please donate to help us continue it! Click here to chip in. When you take that golden idea and add restrictive voter laws, billions of dollars, and a whacky electoral system, representation takes on a whole different...
Jul 26, 2022•23 min
A few years ago, Civics 101 did a series revisiting the Declaration of Independence, and three groups for which the tenants of life, liberty, and property enshrined in that document did not apply. We bring you all three parts of that series today, and hear from legal and historical scholars about how Black Americans, Indigenous peoples, and women were excluded from our founding document, and how they responded. Find the series page here. Part 1: Byron Williams, author of The Radical Declaration,...
Jul 19, 2022•48 min
It came after decades of discrimination, violence and disenfranchisement -- President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act in 1965, "an Act to enforce the fifteenth amendment to the Constitution of the United States." That Act worked. In the decades since, though, states and the Supreme Court have changed what that Act means and can do. Our guides to this sweeping legislation are Sonni Waknin of the UCLA Voting Rights Project and Gary May , author of Bending Towards Justice: The Voting...
Jul 12, 2022•38 min
Today, after one of the busiest civics-related news weeks in history, we take a break to talk about some of the history and ephemera tied to Independence Day. We talk about dates, names, songs, food, and explosions in the sky. Here are some links to episodes tied to the 4th: Declaration of Independence Declaration Revisited IRL2: The Flag and the Pledge Throughline's episode on Becoming America CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see ...
Jul 04, 2022•25 min
The National Park Service has changed immensely since its days of keeping poachers out of Yellowstone. So has its approach to telling the story of America. Kirsten Talken-Spaulding of the NPS and Will Shafroth of the National Parks Foundation help us understand how this colossal system actually works and what it's doing to tell the true story of the United States. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to ...
Jun 28, 2022•31 min
