Civics In A Year
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.
Civics In A Year
From Magna Carta to Madison: The Ideas That Frame America
Democracy rests on fundamental principles that evolved over centuries before becoming enshrined in America's founding documents. This episode introduces our series on the Principles of American Democracy, exploring the philosophical foundations and key figures that shaped our constitutional system.
• Lincoln described the Declaration as "an apple of gold" and the Constitution as its "frame of silver"
• The Magna Carta (1215) established that even rulers must follow the law
• The English Bill of Rights (1689) introduced concepts like free speech and fair trials
• Early American documents like the Mayflower Compact established government by consent
• Enlightenment thinkers including Locke and Montesquieu heavily influenced constitutional design
• Madison, Washington, and other founders translated philosophical ideas into practical governance
• The Federalist Papers explained and defended the Constitution during ratification
• Upcoming episodes will explore natural rights, social contract theory, republicanism, and limited government
• Special kids editions will be available for select episodes
Subscribe to Civics in a Year wherever you get your podcasts, and visit civicsasu.edu for lesson plans, discussion guides, primary sources, and additional resources for each episode.
Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum!
School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership
What makes democracy work? Is it the words in a document, the ideas behind the words or the people who are willing to live by them? Welcome back to Civics in a Year where we're exploring the big ideas that have shaped and continue to shape American democracy. I'm your host, liz Evans, and today we're launching into the next section of the journey Principles of American Democracy, of the journey Principles of American Democracy. In this segment of the podcast and the civic literacy curriculum, we're digging deeper into the roots of our system of government the people documents philosophies that gave rise to the Constitution and still influence how we live together as a nation. So let's set the stage for what's ahead ahead.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's start with a big question. How did Abraham Lincoln understand the relationship between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution? Lincoln called the Declaration an apple of gold in a picture of silver. In other words, the Constitution was the frame, but the Declaration held the core ideas. For Lincoln, the Constitution protected the values that the Declaration first declared liberty, equality and the rights of all people. But where did those ideas come from? To understand that, we're going to have to go back even further to England. Ever heard of the Magna Carta Signed in 1215,. It was one of the first documents to limit the power of a king. The Magna Carta introduced the radical idea that even rulers must follow the law. Fast forward a few centuries and we get the English Bill of Rights, a 1689 document that spelled out rights like free speech and fair trials. Sound familiar? These documents helped plant the seeds for the US Constitution and the Bill of Rights that followed.
Speaker 1:But America didn't just inherit ideas, it started generating new ones too. Before the United States was even a thought. The Mayflower Compact set a precedent in 1620, government by consent, just a group of settlers agreeing to govern themselves. Then came colonial charters, which outlined early self-governance and local control. These laid the foundation for the ideas that the people, not a distant monarch, should hold the power. As tensions with Britain grew, these ideas came to a boil, helped along by the pen of Thomas Paine, whose pamphlet Common Sense made the argument for independence plain and powerful.
Speaker 1:Philosophers also had a major impact. John Locke talked about natural rights, life, liberty and property. He believed governments exist to protect those rights and if they don't, the people have the right to change them. Montesquieu offered the idea of separating powers, dividing government into branches so that no one becomes a tyrant. Sound familiar Yep, that's your executive, legislative and judicial branches at work. These Enlightenment thinkers deeply influenced the architects of the US Constitution, including James Madison, known as the father of the Constitution, and George Washington, who presided over the Constitutional Convention and lent it enormous credibility. And to help Americans understand the new Constitution, enter the Federalist Papers, a series of essays written by Madison, alexander Hamilton and John Jay. They explained why this new framework of government mattered, why checks and balances were essential and how liberty could survive under a strong federal system. The Constitution did not just happen. It was debated and defended and eventually ratified. The Federalist Papers played a key role in that process.
Speaker 1:So, coming up in this section, we're going to take each of these ideas and figures and explore them in detail, like what are natural rights and where do they come from them? In detail, like what are natural rights and where do they come from? What's a social contract? How did it influence our founding documents? What is republicanism little r republicanism and how is it reflected in our constitution and why did the founders insist on creating a limited government?
Speaker 1:For our younger listeners, we're going to include a special kids edition of a couple of our episodes, starting with a simple but important question what is a constitution? So, whether you're a student, a teacher, a parent or just a curious citizen, you're invited to dig in with us, because democracy does not just happen. It's built idea by idea, generation by generation, and understanding why it works is the first step in making sure it keeps working. Subscribe to Civics in a Year, wherever you get your podcasts, and visit our website, civicsasuedu, for lesson plans, discussion guides, primary sources and everything else that goes along with every episode. Thanks for listening and please share with someone you think would like to hear this, and we'll see you next time as we dive into the minds and movements that shaped American democracy.
