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
Kids Edition: The Great Debate That Built Our Democracy
We explore the critical debate between Federalists and Anti-Federalists that shaped America's founding and governmental structure in the late 1780s after the Revolutionary War. Their competing visions for the new nation's power structure ultimately resulted in both a strong constitutional framework and explicit protections for individual rights.
• Federalists like Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay advocated for a strong central government to maintain national unity and security
• Anti-Federalists including Patrick Henry and George Mason worried about excessive federal power and demanded stronger protections for individual rights
• A school carnival analogy helps explain the debate: some wanted centralized leadership while others feared too much control
• The Federalists won the main argument with the Constitution's ratification in 1788
• Anti-Federalists secured the addition of the Bill of Rights, protecting fundamental freedoms
• Both perspectives ultimately contributed to America's balanced governmental system
Thanks for listening and remember sometimes disagreements can lead to better ideas for everyone.
Check Out the Civic Literacy Curriculum!
School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership
Hi friends, welcome back to Civics in a Year Kids Edition. Today's big question is who are the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists? Okay, so let's go back in time to the late 1780s. The United States had just won the Revolutionary War. The people were free from Britain, but now they had to decide how should this new country be governed. Some leaders wanted a strong national government. Others worried that might give too much power to a few people at the top. That's where the two big groups come in.
Speaker 1:First, the Federalists. Federalists believe the United States needed a strong central government to keep the country united and safe. They thought if states kept too much power, the country might break apart or be too weak to defend itself. Some famous Federalists were Alexander Hamilton he wanted a strong national government and a strong economy. James Madison he helped write the Constitution and argued that it would protect liberty. John Jay he worked on the Federalist paper essays explaining why the Constitution was a good idea.
Speaker 1:But then came the Anti-Federalists. Anti-federalists worried that a strong central government could turn into a king-like system all over again. They wanted the states to keep more control and they believed people's rights needed stronger protection. Some well-known anti-federalists were Patrick Henry he feared that the Constitution gave too much power to the government and George Mason. He wanted a Bill of Rights to protect freedoms like speech and religion. Here's a story to help you picture it. Imagine you and your friends are making rules for a giant school carnival. Some kids say we need one big team of leaners so that the carnival runs smoothly. That's like the Federalists. Other kids say wait, what if the leaders boss us around? We need each classroom to keep its own power and we need a list of rules that protect everyone. That's like the Anti-Federalists. Both sides want the carnival or, in real life, the country to succeed. They just had different ideas about the best way to do it.
Speaker 1:So what happened? The Federalists won the main debate and the Constitution was ratified, or approved, in 1788. But the Anti-Federalists made a really important point the Constitution needed a Bill of Rights. And guess what? They got it. The first 10 amendments, like the freedom of speech and the right to a fair trial, were added to help protect people's freedoms. So who are the Federalists and Anti-Federalists? They were two groups of leaders who disagreed on how strong the national government should be and, even though they argued, their debate helped shape the country we have today. Thanks to both sides. We have a constitution that sets up government and a bill of rights that protects individual freedoms. That's all for today's episode of Civics in a Year Kids Edition. Next time you hear about the Federals and Anti-Federals, you know they weren't just arguing, they were helping build the foundation of American democracy. I'm Liz. Thanks for listening and remember sometimes disagreements can lead to better ideas for everyone.
