Civics In A Year

The Center for American Civics
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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.

  1. 19H AGO

    Field Trip Friday: Inside America 250 On The National Mall

    Step onto the nation’s front yard as we unpack how the National Mall is preparing for America’s 250th—through bold infrastructure upgrades, inclusive programming, and a reimagined visitor experience that blends history, community, and learning. We start beneath the surface, exploring the new Lincoln Memorial Undercroft: a 15,000-square-foot exhibit space that turns a hidden vault into an accessible, year-round gallery with elevators and modern amenities. We then head to Jefferson’s refreshed exhibits and facilities, the $113 million tidal basin project preserving cherry blossoms and memorials against erosion, and a renewed Constitution Gardens with the often-missed Signers’ Island receiving long-needed care. Even beyond the Mall, Lafayette Park gets attention with improved seating, fountains, and greener paths—small changes that make a big civic square feel welcoming and ready. Commemoration comes alive through participation, not just pageantry. America’s State Fair will bring every state and territory to the Mall with pavilions, flavors, and stories that invite visitors to see themselves in the national narrative. Core observances—from Memorial Day to Lincoln’s birthday—gain depth and scale, while everyday moments remind us why the Mall matters: a silent peace walk of Buddhist monks completing a journey to Lincoln’s steps, and elementary students reciting “I Have a Dream” where Dr. King once spoke. These encounters show unity as a shared space for many voices, where remembrance, protest, and discovery coexist. Educators get a practical roadmap to make the 250th a season of civic learning. We revisit the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution as living documents—bold at their birth, amended by necessity, and tested by time—and point to state and territory 250 commissions that connect classrooms to local events. Whether you’re planning a field trip, designing a unit on primary sources, or seeking fresh ways to tie local stories to national milestones, this conversation offers ideas you can use now. If this journey sparks your curiosity, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review so others can discover it too. Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    14 min

  2. 1D AGO

    Jackson’s First Inaugural, Explained

    A soft-spoken inaugural, a roaring political realignment. We unpack Andrew Jackson’s first days as president to reveal how a short address helped usher in a long era of mass democracy, constitutional confrontation, and executive assertiveness. From the fallout of 1824’s House decision to the landslide of 1828, we connect the dots between electoral grievance, public mandate, and a presidency that promised restraint while preparing for high-stakes battles over federal power. We walk through Jackson’s blueprint: execute the laws, honor constitutional limits, and defend the states without letting the Union fray. Then we dig into the policies that made the rhetoric real. Jackson centers fiscal frugality, ties civic virtue to balanced ledgers, and sets the stage for the only moment the United States carried no national debt. He nods to internal improvements but insists on constitutional footing, previewing clashes over roads, canals, and the national bank. Along the way, we examine the spoils system as Jackson framed it—rotation as democratic accountability—while weighing the costs of politicizing the civil service. The most fraught line in the address promises just treatment of Native nations “consistent with the feelings of our people,” a phrase that exposes the chasm between humane posture and coercive policy. We explore the seeds of removal, the coming nullification crisis, and how Jackson’s appointments would echo into Dred Scott. Finally, we sit with the scene itself: Jackson, ill and grieving Rachel’s death, speaking almost inaudibly to a massive crowd—an image that captures the paradox of a restrained text and an expansive mandate. If you care about how the modern presidency took shape—where popular sovereignty meets constitutional guardrails—this conversation brings the past into sharp focus. Enjoyed the episode? Follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review to help others find us. Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    20 min

  3. 2D AGO

    John Quincy Adams, The Monroe Doctrine, And The Perils Of Power

    We trace John Quincy Adams’s 1821 address from its famous “monsters to destroy” line to its deeper call for principled strength and measured engagement. We connect it to Washington’s Farewell and the Monroe Doctrine to show how interest and justice can travel together without empire. • why the Secretary of State signaled presidential stature in 1821 • post–War of 1812 confidence and domestic calm after the Missouri Compromise • Latin American and European revolutions pressing for U.S. support • the restraint reading of “monsters to destroy” and its limits • risks of swapping liberty for force and wearing an imperial crown • Washington’s Farewell reframed for a stronger America • classical and biblical touchstones shaping policy ethics • reconciling Adams’s 1821 speech with the Monroe Doctrine • practical test: scale, proximity, and purpose as guardrails • read whole documents, not lines; avoid presentism and slogans Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    21 min

  4. 3D AGO

    Monroe Doctrine

    We trace the Monroe Doctrine from a daring 1823 warning to a living rulebook that still shapes how America defines security, principle, and power. From John Quincy Adams to modern strategy, we test where defense ends and intervention begins. • origins of the Monroe Doctrine and its core warning • British alignment and Adams’s diplomatic gamble • post‑1812 great power context and American confidence • expansionist logic framed as defensive security • the Roosevelt corollary and intervention as police power • extension to Europe, NATO, and global alliances • modern restatement in national security strategy • Venezuela, Greenland, and hemispheric control debates • Washington’s standard: interest balanced with justice • civic responsibility to evaluate leaders and policy Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    23 min

  5. 4D AGO

    Missouri Compromise

    We trace how the Missouri Compromise tried to hold a fragile Union together by pairing Missouri and Maine, drawing a line across the map, and postponing a moral decision. The story connects founding-era bargains to Kansas-Nebraska, Dred Scott, and the rise of a party that said no more expansion of slavery. • Louisiana Purchase expansion without slavery rules • Declaration ideals versus entrenched slavery • Congress as lead actor under Monroe • Missouri as slave state, Maine as free state • The geographic line and Senate balance • Jefferson’s “firebell in the night” warning • Founding compromises and three-fifths power boost • Abolitionist surge and pro-slavery ideology • Compromise of 1850 as echo of 1820 • Kansas-Nebraska repeal and Dred Scott escalation • Republican Party rise and end of compromise Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    21 min

  6. FEB 20

    Field Trip Friday: How New Monuments Happen

    Memory does not arrive fully formed in stone; it’s argued into place. We pull back the curtain on how a new memorial takes shape on the National Mall, from the first spark of a citizens’ group to the day the ribbon is cut. Along the way, we unpack the Commemorative Works Act, why congressional authorization matters, and the surprising truth that private donors—not federal budgets—fund the monuments that define our civic landscape. Jeremy Goldstein from the Trust for the National Mall joins us to map the long arc of building a memorial: forming a commission, navigating House and Senate approval, and earning the president’s signature before a single shovel hits the ground. Then comes the marathon—raising funds, selecting a site in one of the most symbolically charged places in America, and clearing environmental and historic reviews with the National Park Service and the National Capital Planning Commission. We talk design competitions, public comment, and why a 20–25 year timeline is normal when your canvas is national memory. We also explore how the Mall decides whose story to tell next. Consensus and community drive momentum, with friends groups, veterans, and historians shaping narratives that serve the whole country. War memorials demand special care; time and distance help communities honor service without simplifying complex conflicts. From the Vietnam Veterans Memorial’s once‑controversial wall to later additions like the Women’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, we show how memorials evolve to include more voices without erasing the original intent. Finally, we look at how these spaces adapt for modern visitors. Renovations like the Lincoln Memorial’s undercroft and new exhibits at the Jefferson and Korean War memorials signal a shift toward deeper context and accessibility. And for those far from Washington, digital gateways make the Mall’s stories reachable from a classroom, a living room, or a phone. Subscribe, share, and leave a review—and tell us: which story do you believe deserves a place on the National Mall next? Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    17 min

  7. FEB 19

    Madison’s Veto And Monroe’s Pivot

    What if the road to American nation-building ran straight through a constitutional crossroads? We dig into James Madison’s veto of the Bonus Bill and James Monroe’s later twist on internal improvements to reveal how early presidents sketched the limits—and possibilities—of federal power. The stakes were not just roads and canals, but the meaning of the Spending Clause, the reach of the Commerce Clause, and whether “general welfare” is a guiding aim or a blank check. We start with Madison, who reversed himself on the Bank of the United States after the War of 1812 but drew a hard line on infrastructure. He argued that internal improvements weren’t in Article I, Section 8 and couldn’t be justified by commerce or a free-standing general welfare power. The fix, in his view, was simple and honest: pass a constitutional amendment. Anything else would blur the separation between national and state spheres and silence the courts’ ability to police the boundary. Then we follow Monroe, who began as Jefferson’s strict heir but offered a new path: Congress could tax and spend broadly for the general welfare, yet it couldn’t directly operate roads or impose toll regimes without distinct constitutional authority. This solution—the check without the control—helped fuel national development while preserving a role for states. Not everyone cheered. Henry Clay wanted internal improvements tethered to commerce and defense, not to an open-ended spending power that might, over time, wash out federalism. Across the conversation, we connect these 1810s choices to long arcs: Jackson’s partial return to Madison’s caution, nineteenth‑century workarounds like federal land grants, and the twentieth‑century settlement during the New Deal, when Congress’s spending power grew and the Supreme Court largely aligned with Monroe’s vision. Today’s highways, grants-in-aid, and policy “strings” still carry their fingerprints. Subscribe, share, and leave a review to tell us: whose constitutional map do you trust when building the next big public project? Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    15 min

  8. FEB 18

    The Louisiana Purchase

    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 wars, Haiti’s revolt, Federalist fears, and the limits of necessity drive the story. • European conflict and the return of Louisiana to France • Jefferson’s alarm over New Orleans and river trade • Haiti’s revolt wrecking Napoleon’s North American plans • The surprise offer of the entire Louisiana territory • Federalist worries about power dilution and culture • Financing the deal and Gallatin’s role • Jefferson’s strict view versus treaty power tradition • Madison and Gallatin arguing the Constitution permits acquisition • The danger of necessity trumping constitutional limits • Lasting lessons for constitutionalism and statecraft Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    13 min
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4
out of 5
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About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    The Center for American Civics
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    166
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Civics In A Year
  • Show Website
    Civics In A Year

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