Podcasts – Teaching American History

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/presidential-academy/Session+3+Morel.mp3 Focus The political logic of the argument of the Declaration, continued: Further reflections on the course of human events, people, the laws of nature and of nature’s God, decent respect for the opinions of mankind, self evident truths, equality, rights, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, consent, prudence, the ends of government, the right to abolish government and institute new government, facts submitted to a candid world, sacred honor, and more.   Readings Kurland and Lerner, The Founders’ Constitution Chapter 1, Document 1: Continental Congress, Declarations and Resolves (October 14, 1774) Chapter 14, Document 10: Thomas Jefferson, A Summary View of the Rights of British America (July, 1774) Chapter 3, Document 5: Alexander Hamilton, The Farmer Refuted (February 23, 1775) Chapter 4, Document 4: Thomas Paine, Common Sense (January 10, 1776) Chapter 1, Document 3: Virginia Declaration of Rights (June 12, 1776) Chapter 1, Document 6: Massachusetts Constitution: Preamble and Part the First. A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (March 2, 1780) Chapter 15, Document 18: Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Debates in Congress (July 2-4, 1776) The post Session 3: The American Mind, Part 2 appeared first on Teaching American History.

On 21 July, NCSS and TAH.org hosted the last of three episodes in their joint Summer Webinar Series about the Reconstruction amendments. Professor Scott Yenor discussed with a group of teachers the reasoning behind the 15th Amendment, different ideas about how to achieve its goal, and the resulting impact of access to the vote - real or imagined - by African-Americans over time. You can download a copy of the slideshow here, and the reading packet for the entire series here. The post The 15th Amendment: Providing the Vote appeared first on Teaching American History.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/presidential-academy/Session+2.mp3 Focus Thomas Jefferson wrote that in drafting the Declaration of Independence he meant to give expression to "the American mind." What does the Declaration tell us about the American mind as it related to the foundations, forms, and purposes of the newly sovereign United States? What is the political logic of the argument of the Declaration? What is the philosophical and historical heritage on which the Declaration draws? Reflections on the course of human events, people, the laws of nature and of nature’s God, decent respect for the opinions of mankind, self evident truths, equality, rights, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, consent, prudence, the ends of government, the right to abolish government and institute new government, facts submitted to a candid world, sacred honor, and more.   Readings Kurland and Lerner, The Founders' Constitution Chapter 14, Document 6: Bill of Rights(1689) John Locke, Second Treatise (1689), §§ 1–15, 25-51; 61-63; 123-126, 54, 95–99, 119–126, 149, 155, 163, 168, 207–10, 220–31, 240–43 Kurland and Lerner, The Founders' Constitution Chapter 2, Document 2: Thomas Gordon,Cato's Letters (1721), No. 38 The post Session 2: The American Mind, Part 1 appeared first on Teaching American History.

In part 2 of the TAH.org/NCSS Summer Webinar Series, Professor Scott Yenor discusses the need for, development of, and implementation of the 14th Amendment. Starting with conjecture over an ideal resolution to the Civil War, Professor Yenor and a group of teachers worked through the competing ideas and practical challenges of Reconstruction as applied to what became the 14th Amendment. You can access the slideshow used during the webinar here, and the reading packet for the three-session series here. The post The 14th Amendment: How it Completes the Constitution appeared first on Teaching American History.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/presidential-academy/Introduction+Peter+Schramm.mp3 https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/presidential-academy/Session+1+pt1+Flannery.mp3 https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/presidential-academy/Session+1+pt2+Morel.mp3 Focus Why is it important to understand the Declaration of Independence? What does the Declaration say, and why and how does it say it? What does the Declaration not say, and why and how does it not say it? What is the significance of Jefferson's draft of the Declaration? What does the Declaration mean, and what does the Declaration not mean?   Readings Declaration of Independence Thomas Jefferson Letter to Henry Lee Thomas Jefferson Letter to Roger Weightman Abraham Lincoln, Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln, Fragment on Constitution & Union Kurland and Lerner, The Founders' Constitution Chapter 15, Document 18: Thomas Jefferson, Notes on Debates in Congress(July 2-4, 1776) Martin Luther King, Jr., "I Have a Dream" speech Jaffa, Crisis of the House Divided, chap. 17, esp. 374-76 The post Session 1: Intro and the “Apple of Gold”: – The Centrality of the Declaration of Independence in American Political Life appeared first on Teaching American History.

Professor Scott Yenor:  https://s3.amazonaws.com/tah-podcasts/7+July+NCSS+Webinar+Audio.mp3 | Open Player in New Window On the evening of 7 July, 2015, TeachingAmericanHistory.org and the National Council for the Social Studies presented the first of three webinars in a series based around the three Reconstruction Amendments. Professor Scott Yenor, of Boise State University, worked with a group of teachers from across the country to consider the constitutional, legal, and practical issues surrounding the 13th Amendment. Did the amendment represent a departure from constitutional precedent, or a culmination of it? How was the question of slavery dealt with as a constitutional and legal issue through this amendment? Were the Reconstruction amendments truly a coherent ‘package,’ as often portrayed? These questions and others were addressed in detail using this documents packet and this slideshow. Download those files and follow along with the attached podcast.

The first of the 2014-15 Saturday Webinars, this session not only introduced the theme for the season, it also addressed an issue perfectly relevant to any American History, Government, or Civics course. The archive page for the program is here, and you can subscribe to our TAH.org podcast here. The post American Controversies: Did the Founders Misunderstand Equality? appeared first on Teaching American History.

What is democracy, and what did it mean to the Founders as they fought the Revolution and then laid out the plans for a new government? Did their definition of the term, and its implications for the structure, powers, and role of the new government differ from ours, or from that of Americans in the centuries between us? September 2014's Saturday Webinar dealt with these questions and issues attached to them, and can be viewed - and its associated documents accessed - right here. And now that our iTunes Podcast is running smoothly, you can download the audio file to your mobile device, as well. The post September 2014 Webinar: Did the Founders Misunderstand Democracy? appeared first on Teaching American History.

November 2014's Saturday Webinar, "Is There a Constitutional Right to Nullification or Secession?" was a great panel discussion about the legal, constitutional, and revolutionary arguments made over the years to justify either nullification of federal actions our outright secession. One glaring omission from that program, however, has been the lack of an audio-only version of the discussion. Now that our podcast is running smoothly, it was time to remedy that oversight. The post American Controversies: Is there a Right to Nullification or Secession? – the podcast appeared first on Teaching American History.

Is the Modern Presidency Constitutional? The last of the 14-15 school year's Saturday Webinars, today's program, was hosted as always by Dr. Chris Burkett of Ashland University, who moderated the discussion between professors Jeremy Bailey and David Alvis. The topic considered the Constitution itself, interpretations of the executive found in the Federalist Papers, and actions, laws, and events from throughout American history, in an attempt to differentiate between the 'constitutional presidency' and the 'modern presidency.' Some 65 teachers from across the country attended, who asked a wide variety of questions. You can access a list of some of the documents used and a video archive on here. Subscribe to our podcast here. The post American Controversies: Is the Modern Presidency Constitutional? appeared first on Teaching American History.

Are the Courts and Congress Too Weak or Too Strong? 11 April's webinar,  Are Congress and the Courts Too Strong or Too Weak? is now available for podcasting. You can also view the video archive on this page at TeachingAmericanHistory.org. Subscribe to our podcast here. The post American Controversies: Are Congress and the Courts Too Strong or Too Weak? appeared first on Teaching American History.

14 March 2015's American Controversies webinar focused on foreign policy, and how American principles impact the decision to get involved overseas, where, and how. Scholars David Tucker and Stephen Knott discussed examples from Washington's administration to the Obama presidency,  unpacking events and decisions including the War of 1812, Indian Removal, the annexation of Florida, the Spanish-American War, and more recent interventions in the Balkans, Africa, and elsewhere. 80 teachers from across the country attended and posed excellent questions, digging at the issue of where principles and pragmatism meet - and either clash or complement one another. You can access a video copy of this webinar, along with the core documents used by the scholars, on this TeachingAmericanHistory.org archive page. Join us for next month's American Controversies webinar, the guiding question behind which will be "Are Congress or the Courts Too Strong or Too Weak?" Subscribe to our podcast here. The post Saturday Webinar: Do American Principles Require American Interventionism? appeared first on Teaching American History.

You can listen to the audio Subscribe to our podcast here. The post Saturday Webinar: Has the Age of Enlightened Administration Come? appeared first on Teaching American History.

The Ashbrook Center's Professor Gordon Lloyd gave a six-part lecture series to a group of teachers at the Reagan Library, in which he discussed several key perspectives on the development, writing, ratification, and implementation of the Bill of Rights. Episodes run from 50-60 minutes each. In this, the final of 6 sessions, Dr. Lloyd ends with a discussion of James Madison, the father of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. A master reference chart of the origins of the rights found in the Bill of Rights is here, along with a short biography of James Madison, here.   The post Bill of Rights Lecture Series: Session 6 appeared first on Teaching American History.

The Ashbrook Center's Professor Gordon Lloyd gave a six-part lecture series to a group of teachers at the Reagan Library, in which he discussed several key perspectives on the development, writing, ratification, and implementation of the Bill of Rights. Episodes run from 50-60 minutes each. Session 5's topic is that of the first Congress, and how this body of legislators worked to draft what would become the Bill of Rights. Supplemental references for this session can be found here. The post Bill of Rights Lecture Series: Session 5 appeared first on Teaching American History.