The Smithsonian is a heck of a lot more than its 21 museums. Today on Civics 101 Richard Kurin tells us all about about an institution that interacts with all three branches of government, has a budget of over a billion dollars, and is dedicated to "the increase and diffusion of knowledge" among all. So how did it start? How does it run? What does the Chief Justice have to do with all this? And, finally, why do we collect items in the first place? CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT O...
Jun 25, 2024•39 min
On June 14 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that bump stocks are no longer illegal, reversing an order from Donald Trump and the ATF that was passed in the wake of the Las Vegas shootings. The words "Second Amendment" do not appear in the opinion, concurring opinion, or dissent. And yet, within minutes of the ruling, every news agency was calling it a Second Amendment case. So what is the Second Amendment? It's short. 27 words. Words which have been interpreted and reinterpreted by historians, acti...
Jun 18, 2024•46 min
Today we break down flags that have been in the news; from variations on the American flag to revolutionary flags like the Gadsden Flag and the "Appeal to Heaven" pine tree flag. These flags do not change in their design, but the meaning of these flags certainly does change. For more flaggery, click here to hear our show about the history of the American flag and SCOTUS cases surrounding it, and click here to learn about why Nick thinks the NH flag is so terrible. BONUS: Check out Hannah and Nic...
Jun 11, 2024•31 min
This is the story of what happens (and what's happening) when the American workforce tries to get a seat at the table. Our guides to strikes, unions and the labor movement are Kim Kelly , journalist and author of Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor, Eric Loomis professor of History at the University of Rhode Island and author of A History of America in Ten Strikes and our friend Andrew Swan , an 8th Grade Social Studies teacher in Newton, MA among many other things. CLICK HERE ...
Jun 04, 2024•1 hr 8 min
The Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, DC is sometimes called “the people’s zoo.” That’s because it’s the only zoo in the country to be created by an act of US Congress, and admission is free. But why did our federal government create a national zoo in the first place? Outside/In producer Felix Poon has the scoop – from its surprising origins in the near-extinction of bison, to a look at its modern-day mission of conservation, we’re going on a field trip to learn all about the N...
May 28, 2024•28 min
Today on Civics 101 we talk about truth, bias, and objectivity in reporting. I visited with Barbara Sprunt , reporter at the Washington desk at NPR, who told me what it's like to cover Capitol Hill. Barbara told me about her schedule, what to listen for when interviewing members of Congress, and what she says to accusations of political bias. Support our public radio show today and you can get our new misinformation/disinformation tote bag! Click here to take a peek at it. CLICK HERE TO DONATE T...
May 21, 2024•22 min
We started out by lining up on different sides of the street, then by saying our vote out loud. We've used many methods to vote, but most of them were corruptible by the party in power. But have we reached the pinnacle? Have we finally achieved the "perfect ballot?" Today, Dan Cassino of Farleigh Dickinson University and Josh Pasek of the University of Michigan walk us through the history of ballot design, the ballot fiasco in 2000, and how some ballots continue to favor one candidate (or party)...
May 14, 2024•33 min
Today we explore coins, shells, greenbacks, the Mint, all things tied to American currency. Our guides are Stephen Mihm , professor at the University of Georgia and author of A Nation of Counterfeiters: Capitalists, Con Men, and the Making of the United States , Ellen Feingold, curator at the National Numismatic Collection at the Smithsonian, and Todd Martin from the U.S. Mint . Hey, check out our snazzy new tote bag! Make a $5 a month or $60 one time gift to the show and it's yours! CLICK HERE ...
May 07, 2024•21 min
We often tell you that YOUR local government is the one you have to pay really close attention to. So today we’re bringing you an episode from our colleagues over at Outside/In that proves exactly this. It’s about one city - Juneau, Alaska - and what happens when climate change concerns meet municipal resources – or lack thereof. What does a city do when the bottom line doesn’t jibe with reality and federal funds are out of reach? Especially when a predictable natural disaster is looming on the ...
Apr 30, 2024•31 min
Host Nick Capodice talks to co-host Hannah McCarthy about what it's like having real access to the Supreme Court. (Spoiler alert: those chairs lean WAY back!) And then the pair pays a very emotional visit to the Lincoln Memorial. 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 Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Gui...
Apr 26, 2024•35 min
Why do we need so much paper money? Why does the National Zoo have bison? How did Thomas Edison record sound? How big is the Hope Diamond? What does the CPB do? And what is it ike seeing a Supreme Court oral argument in person? What about all those protests outside? These are all questions the Civics 101 team sought to answer on their second and third days field-tripping in Washington D.C. And now they've been joined by Outside/In producer Felix Poon! Listen in as the team shares their experienc...
Apr 26, 2024•27 min
This week our team has hit the road to - where else - our nation’s capital, Washington D.C. While we’re here, we’ll be conducting interviews and gathering tape for future episodes, but we’re also doing something else: immersing ourselves in the sights and sounds of the seat of our federal government. That’s right, it’s a Civics 101 field trip! You can follow along on Instagram and on our brand-new TikTok channel . In this episode, listen to what it was like as we explored the city during our fir...
Apr 24, 2024•19 min
You might think you know why Marbury v Madison is important: it set the precedent whereby the Supreme Court decides whether laws are constitutional or not, a power known as judicial review. But what else does this landmark decision say? And why is this case from more than two hundred years ago cited so prominently in former president Donald Trump's current Supreme Court brief ? In this episode, host Hannah McCarthy "Hansplains" the connection between this famous case and current events, with the...
Apr 23, 2024•46 min
Today we're talking RNC and DNC. The committees, not the conventions. What do they do? Who decides who chairs them? And what does it mean to a national committee when someone can post a message on social media that has more impact than thousands of mailbox flyers? Today's guests are Boris Heersink and Marjorie Hershey , who take us from a few folks setting up a convention to a massive organization that tries (and sometimes fails) to wrangle a party's identity. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AN...
Apr 16, 2024•26 min
Most Americans need help to file our tax return each year - about 90% of people use technology like Turbo Tax, or hire a human tax preparer. Why does it feel like it takes degree in accounting, or the money to pay someone with a degree, or computer software, just to comply with the law? We revisit our explainers on why our tax system is the way it is, and how to comply with it, just in time for tax day. We talk about everything that goes into filing taxes, how some people game the system, why it...
Apr 09, 2024•38 min
We revisit our explainers on why our tax system is the way it is, and how to comply with it, just in time for tax day. 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? CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK H...
Apr 09, 2024•36 min
Forget the rhetoric and hysterical political ads! Host Hannah McCarthy did the research, and she runs down all of the *actual* campaign promises being made by President Joe Biden and Donald Trump as they both make a second run for the White House. The economy. Healthcare. Gun violence. Policing. Education. And...firing lots of people. In this edition of Civics 101, find out what the two presumptive nominees for President of the United States are telling voters they will do if elected. CLICK HERE...
Apr 02, 2024•45 min
Lochner v New York, a 1905 Supreme Court case about working hours and contracts, is considered anti-canon. Right up there with Dred Scott, Plessy and Korematsu. The question is, how did it get there? Why do people think it's so bad? And what does this decision, and the era that followed, say about politics and the Supreme Court? Our guides to this case and what came after are Rebecca Brown , Rader Family Trustee Chair in Law at USC Gould School of Law and Matthew Lindsay , Associate Professor of...
Mar 26, 2024•40 min
TikTok - an app with around 170 Million American users - is under intense scrutiny by the U.S. government, including a bill passed by the House of Representatives which issues a threat: "sell or be banned." But how and why can the government do that? What does this kind of business restriction look like? We talked to Steven Balla of George Washington University to get the low down on regulations and bans in the United States. TLDR: This episode goes beyond the current legislation, but it's updat...
Mar 18, 2024•20 min
When the Supreme Court says something is or isn't constitutional, what does that really mean? What are the effects, or lack thereof, of their decisions? And what do we do if we don't agree with what they say? Today Linda Monk, author of The Bill of Rights: A User's Guide , walks us through four times in US History that the Supreme Court was not the be-all-end-all decision maker. Here are some links to shows we reference in the episode: Dred Scott v Sandford Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka...
Mar 12, 2024•24 min
The process is pretty straightforward. Plenty of people want to make some change. And yet? We've only done it 27 times. So what does it take to amend the U.S. Constitution and why does it barely ever happen? Robinson Woodward Burns , Associate Professor of Political Science at Howard University, is our guide. Want more Civics 101? Sign up for our newsletter and enjoy the pure delight of an extra dose of (genuinely fun) civics musing twice a month. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT O...
Mar 05, 2024•18 min
Listen to our full, two-part series from 2023 on the history of civics education, and the current legal and ideological debates around social studies happening in across the country today. Walking us through the past, present, and future of social studies and civic education are Danielle Allen , James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, and Adam Laats , Historian and Professor of Teaching, Learning and Educational Leadership at Binghamton University. We also hear from Louis...
Feb 27, 2024•56 min
When the cats are away...well...you know. In this special episode, Executive Producer Rebecca Lavoie and Senior Producer Christina Phillips follow up on some recent discussions sparked by our newsletter Extra Credit. How do you have a legitimate discussion with someone who has the facts wrong? And what's going on with all of these different trials involving former President Donald Trump? Click here to read Nick's essay on responding to someone who's wrong. Click here to subscribe to our newslett...
Feb 20, 2024•31 min
The president has the power to release someone from prison, restore their voting rights, or stop a federal criminal investigation with little more than the wave of a hand. How did the president get this power, and are there any limitations? What would it mean for a president to pardon themselves? Brian Kalt , constitutional law professor at Michigan State University, helps answer these questions. CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE SHOW AND CHECK OUT OUR NEW TOTE BAG! CLICK HERE: Visit our website to se...
Feb 13, 2024•28 min
Machine learning is being used in police precincts, schools, courts and elsewhere across the country to help us make decisions. Using data about us, algorithms can do almost instantly what it would take human beings both time and money to do. Cheaper, faster, more efficient and potentially more accurate -- but should we be doing it? How should we be using it? And what about our privacy and our rights? Aziz Huq, Frank and Bernice J. Greenberg Professor of Law at the University of Chicago Law Scho...
Feb 06, 2024•47 min
Federalist 10 was one of the Federalist Papers, a collection of 85 essays that were published in New York to encourage ratification of the newly drafted Constitution. This essay is taught in classrooms across the country and often referred to as the most important. So what's it about? Taking us through the ideas of faction, republicanism, and Madison's inability to predict Facebook are Jeffrey Rosen , President of the National Constitution Center, Alison LaCroix , Professor of Law at the Univers...
Jan 30, 2024•22 min
Primaries, caucuses, conventions, court cases -- oh, it's a lot. Hannah and Nick have the most important dates and some crucial context for your calendar this election year. Buckle up, 2024 is already underway. Check out our recommended listening for more helpful info! Primaries and Caucuses Conventions Stranglehold: Make Room (for context on New Hampshire and its hold on the first in the nation Primary) By the way, it isn't too late to snag a Civics 101 baseball hat! Donate now and show the wor...
Jan 23, 2024•23 min
Government salaries vary an awful lot; from $100 a year to $11.5 million. So who makes what? Today we divide the issue of taxpayer-funded salaries in two. How much officials make, and then how much they really make. Why do so many politicians make money once they leave office? How much can you get from speaking at events? And how do lobbyists affect not only policy, but their career trajectory? Our guest is Anna Massoglia from Open Secrets , the "nation's premier research group tracking money in...
Jan 16, 2024•22 min
In this double feature of two of our favorite episodes we cover misinformation, disinformation and propaganda -- three tricky truth-benders that come at you from every angle in American life. Our guides include Samantha Lai of the Brookings Institute , Peter Adams of the News Literacy Project , 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 Rhet...
Jan 09, 2024•57 min
Expulsion from Congress is extremely rare. Nevertheless, NY Congressman George Santos was expelled on December 1, 2023. So how did that happen? Today on Civics 101 we are guided by Carlos Algara, who lays out the history of expulsion in both chambers, the process, the Ethics Committee, censure, and how Congress fills an empty seat after somebody is expelled. 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 po...
Jan 02, 2024•20 min
