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. 10H AGO

    Presidents, Power, And The Myths We Love with Sharon McMahon

    Power isn’t magic, and the presidency isn’t a throne. We sit down with Sharon McMahon—former government teacher, civic educator, and New York Times bestselling author—to unpack the biggest myths about presidential power and replace guesswork with constitutional clarity. Together, we draw a clear line between executive orders and actual laws, explore why modern presidents feel pressure to “do something” when Congress stalls, and map where the Constitution draws hard boundaries that even the most determined administration cannot cross. Sharon takes us past slogans like “what the founders intended” to the nuance the framers built in: amendment paths, short text meant for public reading, and a design they knew would need updates. We dig into how an administrative state and the internet outgrew eighteenth-century vocabulary, why courts lean on history, and how citizens can use annotated constitutions from Annenberg, the National Constitution Center, and Congress.gov to make sense of today’s fights over executive authority. If you’ve ever wondered whether a president can simply reverse a policy, change legal ages, or ignore statutes, this conversation gives you a practical test: look to the text, check past precedent, and ask what the law actually permits. We also examine the 24-hour news cycle’s role in turning outfits and photo ops into narratives of power, and we re-center what lasting leadership really looks like. The president's history ranks highest in terms of sharing a few traits: fortitude, a commitment to the common good, and the ability to articulate a positive vision that invites people in. Sharon brings this to life through a historian’s lens, drawing on insights from the remarkable correspondence of John and Abigail Adams—a rare primary-source window into character, strain, and decision-making at the dawn of the American experiment. If you’re ready to trade hero worship for civic literacy, this episode is your field guide. Listen, share with a friend who loves Presidents’ Day debates, and subscribe for more clear, honest conversations about how the American government actually works. If this helped, please leave a review—your feedback helps more curious listeners find the show. In Pursuit Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    34 min

  2. 3D AGO

    Field Trip Friday America 250: Walking The Mall’s Founding Story

    Start at the glass cases that hold the nation’s promises, then step outside into a lawn where those promises are tested every day. We take you on the America 250 walking tour across the National Mall, linking the National Archives, Washington Monument, Constitution Gardens, the Jefferson Memorial, and the George Mason Memorial into one continuous story about ideals, people, and practice. We talk about why the Mall is both shrine and stage: a place where the Declaration and Constitution command quiet attention while 9,000 permitted events each year—protests, performances, even pickleball—demonstrate civic life in motion. Jeremy Goldstein from the Trust for the National Mall shares Bicentennial memories, explains why Constitution Gardens is a commemorative space for documents rather than a traditional memorial, and invites us to read the landscape as carefully as we read inscriptions. The details matter: the Washington Monument’s two-tone stone records a stop-and-start nation; its interior stones catalog a century’s worth of civic groups; the aluminum cap nods to innovation meeting tradition. We dig into the productive tension between founding ideals and early realities, using Jefferson’s words and Mason’s influence on the Bill of Rights to ask how interpretation shapes identity. Signers Island in Constitution Gardens offers a tactile way to connect with each state’s role, turning abstract civics into place-based learning. Educators get a boost with virtual strolls and ready-to-use activities, making the tour accessible from any classroom. Throughout, we return to a core idea: the Mall is where documents, monuments, and people meet, and where a more perfect union remains a work in progress. Walk with us through history that still moves. If this journey sparks your curiosity, subscribe, share with a friend, and leave a review telling us which stop captured your imagination most. Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    14 min

  3. 4D AGO

    The Kentucky & Virginia Resolutions

    Fear, speech, and state power collide when Congress passes the Alien and Sedition Acts—and two southern legislatures answer back. We sit down with Dr. Beyenberg to unpack the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions, tracing how Madison and Jefferson turned a free speech crisis into a lasting argument about federalism and constitutional limits. What begins with fears of French intrigue and partisan newspapers becomes a sharp debate over the First Amendment, the Tenth Amendment, and whether states can speak for themselves when Washington crosses the line. We explore the text and the subtext: the Sedition Act’s unusual requirement that the speech be false, the choice to route prosecutions through juries, and the Federalist logic that leaned on English common law. Then we follow the strategy. Madison crafts Virginia’s protest as a constitutional nudge—rally sister states, pressure Congress, and signal the courts. Jefferson, writing for Kentucky, toys with the word nullification, opening a door he never clearly defines and setting the stage for later battles where that word becomes explosive. The story doesn’t end in 1799. Opponents throw the resolutions back during the War of 1812, and by the 1830s the Webster-Hayne debates draw the hard line: if nullification means using force to block a federal law, it’s not constitutional argument—it’s a path to conflict. We connect those lessons to today’s fights over immigration enforcement and state resistance, asking how far a state can go without breaking the system that holds us together. Along the way, we also meet the Founders in full color—brilliant, strategic, and sometimes hypocritical—as they spar over speech and power. If you value clear thinking about free speech, federalism, and who gets to say no to Washington, hit play, subscribe, and share this episode with someone who loves constitutional history. Then tell us: where should states draw the line? Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    18 min

  4. 5D AGO

    American History Through The Documents That Built It

    Want a clearer view of how American democracy actually works? We’re changing gears and stepping inside the story by reading the original words that built it: letters, speeches, court opinions, laws, and essays written in the heat of conflict and change. Instead of cruising past milestones, we slow down famous documents to see their arguments, their audiences, and the problems they tried to solve—and why those choices still shape our civic life today. We draw on Jefferson’s blunt warning that a nation cannot be both ignorant and free, and Tocqueville’s reminder that democracy doesn’t run on autopilot. From there, we lay out a simple, rigorous method for close reading: identify purpose, trace key terms, test claims against evidence, and ask who needed persuading. We examine how different genres—judicial opinions, public speeches, private letters—use tone and structure to move people, and how those words become law, culture, or both. You’ll hear why primary sources reveal what summaries miss: the assumptions no one bothered to state, the ideas everyone fought about, and the fears and hopes that made certain phrases land. This new arc isn’t about memorizing dates or hero quotes. It’s about building civic literacy by practicing how to think with the raw materials of the republic. Disagreement, not tidy consensus, has always driven change, and the documents show that in real time. By reading slowly, we find the hinge points where a clause redirected a policy, where a dissent lit a path for the future, or where a speech reframed the public’s sense of the possible. If you’re ready to trade hot takes for clear thinking, join us as we read the country’s core texts and sharpen the skills that self-government demands. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who loves primary sources, and leave a review telling us which document you want us to open next. Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    4 min

  5. 6D AGO

    How Civil Rights And Economics Reshaped Southern Party Loyalty

    The neat story about the South “flipping” after the 1960s sounds satisfying—until you stack it against voting patterns, platforms, and constitutional arguments that tell a slower, messier tale. We take you beyond the sound bites to examine how civil rights, federal power, and economic modernization interacted to reshape Southern party loyalty over decades, not election cycles. With Dr. Beienberg, we unpack the conventional switch narrative and test where it holds and where it breaks. Goldwater’s stance on the 1964 Civil Rights Act becomes a lens for understanding a deeper Republican throughline: support for formal legal equality coupled with skepticism of an ever‑expanding Commerce Clause. On the other side, Democrats moved from filibustering civil rights in the 1950s to championing federal enforcement in the Johnson era, paving the way for policies like affirmative action. That asymmetric movement set the stage for voter realignment—but the timing and causes defy the myth. Zooming out, we track how the South’s economic transformation—from underdeveloped to increasingly middle class—nudged voting behavior toward national patterns, even as race remained a powerful organizing force. Nixon’s 1960 civil rights signaling, GOP gains before 1964, and the long lag in statehouse realignment complicate the idea of an overnight switch. Instead, cohort change, suburbanization, and evolving party coalitions drove a layered transition that spanned generations. If you care about political history, party ideology, and the mechanics of realignment, this conversation offers a clear framework for rethinking what really changed—and when. Enjoyed the episode? Follow the show, share it with a friend who loves political history, and leave a quick review to help others find the conversation. Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    16 min

  6. FEB 6

    Field Trip: Walking The National Mall Through Service, Sacrifice, And Civic Duty

    A wall of names can change how you see yourself—and your country. Walking the National Mall with our guide Jeremy Goldstein, we explore how the World War I, World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam Veterans memorials turn stone, water, and bronze into living memory. Each site carries its own voice: Korea’s haunted patrol, WWI’s powerful relief, WWII’s stars and fountains, and the Vietnam Wall’s reflective ledger of loss. Together, they invite pride in service and a sober accounting of cost, holding space for grief, gratitude, and collective healing. We share stories that ground the monuments in human experience: veterans who return to volunteer, guides who greet friends on the wall each morning, and families searching for names to etch and carry home. Jeremy unpacks why Maya Lin’s design remains so resonant—your reflection interlaced with names, the depth of the wall rising with the toll of weeks, and the nearby statues that personify service. We trace the civic values embedded in these places—service, engagement, and a shared commitment to ideals rooted in the Constitution—and consider how local memorials connect hometowns to the nation’s front yard. Looking ahead, we highlight new memorials on the horizon, including Desert Storm/Desert Shield and efforts around the Global War on Terror, and we point to accessible digital tools for classrooms and families through the National Mall Gateway. Whether you’ve walked these paths or only seen photos, this conversation offers a clear way to experience the Mall as a civic classroom: honor the fallen, support the living, and turn remembrance into action. If this resonated with you, follow the show, share it with a friend, and leave a review telling us which memorial moved you most. Your stories keep the memory alive. Take the virtual tour! Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    18 min

  7. FEB 5

    How The New Deal Remade Parties And The Presidency

    A national emergency remade American politics—and we follow the fault lines from the Great Depression to the digital age. With Dr. Sidney Milkis, we unpack how Franklin Roosevelt turned crisis into a lasting partisan realignment and built the modern presidency as an institution with its own staff, strategy, and voice. From Social Security to the Executive Office of the President, the New Deal didn’t just add programs; it rewired how citizens see power, how parties compete, and how leaders communicate. We explore why the Democratic coalition surged during the 1930s and held for decades, how labor and civil rights movements reshaped the map, and why both parties eventually embraced a stronger executive. Media sits at the heart of this story. Theodore Roosevelt leveraged investigative magazines to rally reform, while Franklin Roosevelt perfected radio’s intimacy with the fireside chats, speaking plainly about bank panics, recovery plans, and war aims. That direct line to the public set the template for television-era persuasion and today’s social media bursts, shifting attention away from party organizations and toward a single national voice. There’s a cost to that success. When the presidency becomes the main interface with government, local democracy can wither. Turnout spikes for presidential races while state and municipal contests lag. Drawing on Tocqueville and family stories of precinct work, we make the case that neighborhood-level engagement—school boards, councils, party committees—still matters for a resilient republic. The path forward isn’t to dismantle national capacity but to restore civic practice where people live: better civic education, stronger state and local institutions, and party infrastructure that invites participation rather than gatekeeps it. If this conversation sparked ideas for your classroom, community, or study group, share the episode, leave a review, and subscribe so you never miss new chapters in America’s democratic story. Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    20 min

  8. FEB 4

    From Patronage To Primaries: How The Progressive Era Remade U.S. Politics

    We track how the Progressive Era broke the grip of local party machines, elevated public opinion, and strengthened the presidency, reshaping both major parties. Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson anchor the story as primaries expand and conventions recede into ceremony. • limited, decentralized party machines shift toward national agendas • industrialization and foreign policy drive demand for federal action • direct democracy tools weaken party gatekeepers • primaries rise, conventions lose real power • the presidency emerges as steward of public welfare • Roosevelt’s reform push and the 1912 split • Wilson embeds progressivism in Democratic governance • McGovern–Fraser reforms cement voter-led nominations • platforms increasingly reflect presidential priorities • preview of New Deal realignment next Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum! School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership Center for American Civics

    14 min
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4
out of 5
3 Ratings

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
    157
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Civics In A Year
  • Show Website
    Civics In A Year

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