About the Podcast: 60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation’s history and government.
Get Involved: Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter. Or you can contact the show by emailing Mark Gage. Let me know what you think!
You Can Help: 60-Second Civics is supported by private donations. You can help keep the podcasts coming by donating, buying an ebook, or by writing a nice review in iTunes to help others discover the show. We love our listeners. You are the reason we created the podcast. Thank you for your kind support!
Music: The theme music for 60-Second Civics is provided by Cheryl B. Engelhardt. You can find her online at cbemusic.com. The song featured on the podcast is Cheryl B. Engelhardt's "Complacent," which you purchase on iTunes, along with all of Cheryl's music.
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60-Second Civics: Episode 3708, Vacillating Policy Toward Indian Tribes The United States vacillated between respecting Native American sovereignty and seeking to dismantle tribal governments.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3705, Citizenship and the Founders One of the primary goals of Framers like James Madison was that Americans felt loyalty to the United States, not just their individual states.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3704, Citizenship in Early America Americans originally thought of themselves as citizens only of their states, not of the United States as whole.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3702, Alexis de Tocqueville Today we learn how Alexis de Tocqueville thought Americans had reconciled self-interest with civic participation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3699, Civic Virtue and Self-Interest The Founders stressed the importance of religion and education in reconciling the need for both civic virtue and self-interest.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3698, Natural Rights Philosophy and Citizenship Today we explore how natural rights philosophy influenced America's Founders.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3697, Citizenship and the Common Good Early on, Americans experienced their interdependence and their need to work for the common good.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3692, Jury Verdicts and Representation In England, verdicts in criminal cases had to be unanimous. That changed when English law was adapted by Americans.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3683, Protecting Rights Before Trial The Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments protect people accused of crimes between arrest and trial.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3678, James Madison and Self-Incrimination James Madison originally wanted the protections of the self-incrimination clause to be more expansive.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3673, Alternatives to the Exclusionary Rule Today we explore three suggestions for dealing with police misconduct that avoids losing valuable evidence in court.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3670, The Exclusionary Rule The 1914 Supreme Court case Weeks v. United States established the very important "exclusionary rule" that determines how evidence is used in court.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3669, Exceptions to the Warrant Requirement Though required in most cases, there are specific circumstances in which a warrant is not necessary.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3668, Probable Cause Probable cause, which must be proven to obtain a warrant, is required to meet a specific set of criteria.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3667, Unreasonable Searches and Seizures A protection against unreasonable searches and seizures is necessary for a free society.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3666, Fourth Amendment and Technology New advances in technology are constantly changing the way we understand our right to privacy.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3665, Privacy The Fourth Amendment does not make specific claims about privacy, but America has evolved to uphold certain standards.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3663, Search and Seizure John Adams and the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 helped shape the right to privacy we know today.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3662, John Adams and James Otis John Adams helped lawyer James Otis rise to public prominence and become a figure of the American Revolution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3661, James Otis Fights General Warrants In 1761, Colonial lawyer James Otis attempted to fight parliament's request for a new general warrant.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3660, General Warrants and the American Revolution The British government's use of general warrants on the American colonies was part of the spark leading to the American Revolution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3659, General Warrants in the Colonies Though general warrants were illegal under British common law, that didn't stop Parliament from implementing them in the colonies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3658, A Man's Home Is His Castle The English common law observance of the right to privacy in one's home created the phrase "a man's home is his castle."
60-Second Civics: Episode 3657, Freedom of Association and American Citizenship Scholar Alexis de Tocqueville had many keen observations about the implications of the right to assemble on American society.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3656, Discrimination and Government Interference If an organization meets certain criteria, it must follow government anti-discrimination laws.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3655, The Right to Associate The right to associate, while not explicitly stated in the Constitution, has evolved through court precedence.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3654, Time, Place, and Manner Restrictions Court precedence has determined that the right to assemble may be limited if certain time, place, and manner conditions are met.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3653, Civil Rights Movements and Assembly The civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century is an example of a group successfully petitioning the government.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3652, Women and the Right to Petition Throughout United States history, women have petitioned the government for a variety of purposes.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3651, Silencing Critics Several times in the past, the government has silenced petitioners. The treatment of Bonus Army is one example of this.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3650, The Gag Rule and Slavery In the 1800's, the American political system enacted something known as a "gag rule" in order to maintain slavery in the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3647, The Importance of the Rights to Assemble and Petition The right to petition was a fundamental building block of the early United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3646, The Rights to Petition and Associate The right to associate, while not mentioned in the First Amendment, has evolved through Supreme Court cases.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3645, Freedom of Assembly The right of a group to assemble is protected by the First Amendment and helps create governmental change.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3644, The Rights to Assemble, Petition, and Associate These elements of the First Amendment allow citizens to hold the government accountable for their policies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3642, More Limitations on the Power to Restrict Speech In order for the government to fairly regulate free speech, they must observe certain ethical guidelines.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3641, Limitations on the Power to Restrict Speech Though the government can regulate certain kinds of speech, there are limitations on just how far those regulations can go.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3639, More Exceptions to Free Speech These continued restrictions to free speech include obscenity laws, as well as time, place, and manner restrictions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3638, Exceptions to Free Speech Libel, defamation, and incitement to crime are all forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3637, Limitations to Free Speech The freedom of speech does have its limits, and many feel certain restrictions are necessary.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3633, A Free Press in the Early Republic The First Amendment was created in part to help ease fears that the government would manipulate the press.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3629, Benefits of Freedom of Expression, Part 2 In addition to promoting individual liberties, the freedom of expression helps boost representative government.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3625, Justice O'Connor on Free Exercise The Supreme Court case Rosenberger v. University of Virginia helped establish the idea of "bedrock principles."
60-Second Civics: Episode 3624, Two Cases Test the Free Exercise Clause These two Supreme Court cases helped establish the bounds of the free exercise clause.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3623, Testing Whether a Law Violates the Free Exercise Clause In order to determine if a law is in violation of the free exercise clause, the courts must ask themselves certain questions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3622, Limiting Free Exercise of Religion In certain cases, the court will find it necessary to interfere with the free exercise of religion.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3621, The Free Exercise Clause The free exercise clause is another element of the First Amendment that protects religious freedoms.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3619, Interpreting the Establishment Clause People hold differing views about what rights the establishment clause gives and takes away.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3618, The Establishment Clause How this important piece of the Constitution came to be, and how it has been interpreted over time.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3615, The Reformation Before the United States was founded, religious turmoil in Europe paved a path for a religiously free nation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3614, Ignorance of the Bill of Rights A 1991 survey of Americans revealed that not many know about the history and significance of the Bill of Rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3612, The Constitution As a Bill of Rights In addition to amendments, the Constitution itself was written to protect certain freedoms.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3604, Limitations on Government in the Virginia Declaration of Rights The Virginia Declaration of Rights was a trailblazing document that informed our Bill of Rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3602, Ordinary Legislation vs. a Bill of Rights The English Bill of Rights of 1689 is important for understanding the evolution of bills of rights in the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3601, Early Documents That Established Rights Before the U.S. Bill of Rights, there were a few other documents that helped pave the way for the protection of individual liberties.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3600, The Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments These final pieces of the Bill of Rights deal with crime, punishment, and states rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3597, The First Three Amendments These three Constitutional amendments protect some of our most fundamental rights as citizens.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3593, Ballot Initiatives Initiative, referendum, recall are a trio of methods, begun during the Progressive era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which allow citizens to participate in direct democracy in their states.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3590, How the Depression Changed Government The Great Depression changed the relationship between the federal government and state governments.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3587, Regulation of Commerce Regulation of commerce cases demonstrate the kinds of issues that are common in America's system of shared governmental authority.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3586, State Constitutional Amendments State constitutional amendments often reflect state responses to policy debates occurring throughout the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3585, State Constitutions Since the first state constitutions were adopted in 1776, state constitutional conventions have resulted in new constitutions being adopted some 144 times.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3583, Municipal Governments There are three broad categories of local governments in the United States: Counties, municipalities, and special districts.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3582, County Governments State constitutions give legislatures power to create local governments, which receive charters, or grants of authority, to carry out a wide range of governmental responsibilities.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3581, Lieutenant Governors Lieutenant governors have been considered the fifth wheel of American politics. In reality, they have important responsibilities.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3580, State Executive and Legislative Branches Learn about the executive and legislative branches of state government on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3568, Presidents and Enforcement of Supreme Court Decisions Sometimes, presidents balk at having to enforce Supreme Court decisions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3567, Presidential Influence Over the Supreme Court How do Supreme Court justices get nominated? Find out on today's episode.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3566, Limits on the Power of the Supreme Court Are there limits on the power of the Supreme Court? We find out on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3565, Fundamental Principles and Modernism Today we look at the fundamental principles and modernism approaches to constitutional interpretation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3564, Strict Construction and Original Intent Today we examine the strict construction and original intent methods of constitutional interpretation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3558, Federal Courts Today we present a one-minute overview the powers of federal courts under Article III of the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3556, Courts and Federalism Check Administrative Agencies The courts and our federal system check the power of administrative agencies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3555, Congressional Oversight of Administrative Agencies The president has appointment powers, but Congress has the power to oversee administrative agencies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3553, Patronage vs. Civil Service In general, public employees can't be fired for refusing to support the political party in power.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3548, Expanding and Contracting Bureaucracy Sometimes, the bureaucracy shrinks. Learn about the expanding and shrinking of federal agencies on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3546, Limits on the Power of Administrative Agencies Administrative agencies are powerful, but their power is limited. Find out how on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3540, The President and America's Reputation Why is the president the preeminent figure in domestic and international politics? Find out on today's episode.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3537, Differences Between Parliament and Congress There are critical differences between Parliament and Congress. Learn what these are on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3536, Parliament and the Prime Minister How do Parliament and the prime minister differ from the American system? Find out on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3535, Congress and the Supreme Court Limit the President Congress, the Supreme Court, and public opinion limit the power of the president.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3531, Recommending Legislation to Congress (rebroadcast) Find out about the president's role in lawmaking on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3529, Congress and the Court reign in the president Can Congress and the Supreme Court reign in the power of the president? You bet.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3528, Presidential Power in Emergency and Crisis What does the Constitution say about presidential powers during emergencies or crisis? The answer may surprise you.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3527, Wars, Emergencies, and FDR (rebroadcast) With the support of Congress, FDR responded to the multiple crises that occurred during his administration.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3525, The President and Treaties (rebroadcast) The president can make treaties with the approval of two-thirds of the Senate.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3524, The President As Commander in Chief (rebroadcast) The president is commander in chief, but only Congress can declare war.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3523, The President and Foreign Affairs (rebroadcast) The president's power is at its greatest when it comes to foreign affairs.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3522, The President As Leader in Foreign Policy The president has a number of important powers, but the president's powers are limited in important ways.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3521, Franklin D. Roosevelt Find out why Franklin D. Roosevelt was arguably the most influential president of the 20th century.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3520, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Wilson (rebroadcast) Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Wilson each contributed to the growth of presidential power.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3519, Jefferson and the Use of Presidential Power (rebroadcast) Thomas Jefferson sought to be a model of republican simplicity.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3518, The Rise of Presidential Power (rebroadcast) Some scholars trace the rise of the powerful modern presidency to Andrew Jackson.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3517, A Strong President, But Not Too Strong (rebroadcast) The Framers of the Constitution wanted the president to be strong, but not too strong
60-Second Civics: Episode 3516, Above Partisan Politics (rebroadcast) The Framers of the Constitution expected presidents to be above partisan bickering. It didn't work out that way.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3514, Presidential Power and the Courts (rebroadcast) Today we learn about Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson's opinion in Youngstown Sheet vs. Sawyer.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3511, Impeachment (rebroadcast) Any member of the House can initiate impeachment proceedings, but two-thirds of the Senate is required for removal from office.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3510, Investigations and the Balance of Power (rebroadcast) Congress uses its powers of investigation most frequently when the majority are of a different party than the president.
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