Instructions: 

1. Watch and listen to the 60-Second Civics video below. If you'd like, you can also read along using the script that appears below the quiz. Or you can turn on the video's subtitles and read while watching the video.
2. Take the Daily Civics Quiz. If you get the question wrong, watch the video again or read the script and try again.

Episode Description:
The American Founders drew on a number of basic ideas and experiences to create the kind of government they believed would best protect the natural rights of Americans and promote the common good. Get introduced to some of the Founders in today’s episode!

The American Founders: Back to School Basics, Part 2

Welcome to 60-Second Civics, the daily podcast of the Center for Civic Education. I'm Mark Gage.

 

The American Founders drew on a number of basic ideas and experiences to create the kind of government they believed would best protect the natural rights of Americans and promote the common good.

 

The Founders were influenced by classical Greek and Roman writers, natural rights philosophy, the Bible, Protestant theology, European history, and the Enlightenment.

 

The American Founders came from different backgrounds and had a wide variety of experiences. 

 

The Founders included George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, James Madison, John Adams, Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason,  Alexander Hamilton, Mercy Otis Warren, and many others.

 

They had differing ideas about society and government.

 

This diversity fostered a rich dialogue about the purpose of government and how it should be organized.

 

That’s all for today’s podcast.

 

60-Second Civics, where civic education only takes a minute.