The American Idea

History

The American Idea

by Ashbrook Center

The American Idea explores America's Founding principles and their effect on American history and government. Through thoughtful conversations with renowned academics and public figures from across the country, we examine the history and political thought behind our country’s greatest documents and debates, as well as contemporary issues, American popular culture, and political statesmanship. The podcast is a production of the Ashbrook Center and hosted by Jeff Sikkenga.

101 episodes

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All Episodes

1

Did FDR Threaten the Fundamental Freedoms in the Bill of Rights?

50:55 Mar 18, 2026

2

Thomas Willing: The Revolution’s Forgotten Financier

36:52 Mar 11, 2026

3

What Can We Learn from the Antifederalists?

37:25 Mar 4, 2026

4

James Madison and The Federalist

48:22 Feb 25, 2026

5

How to Read The Federalist

48:40 Feb 18, 2026

6

George Washington - The Indispensable Founding Father

43:37 Feb 11, 2026

7

Thomas Jefferson: Essential American Founder

53:06 Feb 4, 2026

8

Huey Long - American Populist

54:24 Jan 28, 2026

9

Women’s Suffrage, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the Declaration of Independence

45:46 Jan 21, 2026

10

What Makes Americans a "Declarational" People?

39:43 Jan 14, 2026

11

The American Revolution and the Fate of the World

41:14 Jan 7, 2026

12

2025 End of Year Message: Looking Back and Forward

7:12 Dec 31, 2025

13

Special Episode: Born American, But in the Wrong Place

1:00:35 Dec 24, 2025

14

How Does the Declaration of Independence Influence the Constitution?

34:18 Dec 17, 2025

15

When in the Course of Human Events: Creating the Declaration of Independence

36:53 Dec 10, 2025

16

“If they mean to have a war...”: The Causes of the American Revolution

52:41 Dec 3, 2025

17

What Did Frederick Douglass Think of Abraham Lincoln?

46:39 Nov 26, 2025

18

The Constitution and the Rule of Law

31:33 Nov 19, 2025

19

Want to Understand America? Study the Gettysburg Address

42:31 Nov 12, 2025

20

Entitlement Reform: A Problem We Can No Longer Avoid

40:13 Nov 5, 2025

21

Inside Camp David - The Private World of the Presidential Retreat

39:05 Oct 29, 2025

22

Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist

47:28 Oct 22, 2025

23

What Can We Learn from Herbert Hoover?

56:13 Oct 15, 2025

24

Taking Manhattan - The Creation of New York

41:40 Oct 8, 2025

25

The Pathfinder and the President: John C. Fremont, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War

38:23 Oct 1, 2025

26

Congress: What It Was Meant to Be and What It's Become5

48:17 Sep 24, 2025

27

The Constitutional Convention was a Four-Act Drama

1:23:28 Sep 17, 2025

28

The American Way of War

50:23 Sep 10, 2025

29

What are Capital Markets and How Do They Impact Our Economy?

32:22 Sep 3, 2025

30

Old Man Eloquent: The Life and Letters of John Quincy Adams

39:42 Aug 27, 2025

31

Frederick Douglass's Constitutional Abolitionism

43:52 Aug 20, 2025

32

The End of World War 2 in the Pacific: VJ Day at 80 Years

33:59 Aug 13, 2025

33

"A Most Fearful Evil" - What is the National Debt and Why Should You Care About It?

56:58 Aug 6, 2025

34

Mercy Otis Warren - America's Forgotten Founding Historian and Thinker

40:32 Jul 30, 2025

35

Not the Arbiter of Truth - America's Complicated History of a Free Press

36:39 Jul 23, 2025

36

Inside the Reagan White House: A Conversation with Ambassador Frank Lavin

43:56 Jul 16, 2025

37

2025 United States Supreme Court Decisions - Commentary and Analysis

39:58 Jul 9, 2025

38

America's First Core Document - The Declaration of Independence

16:09 Jul 2, 2025

39

All the Presidents' Money: How the Men Who Governed America Governed Their Money

49:41 Jun 25, 2025

40

Sir William Blackstone's Influence on the American Founding

42:12 Jun 18, 2025

41

Why and How Did Slaveholders Oppose Free Speech?

45:40 Jun 10, 2025

42

Paul Nitze - America's Cold Warrior

42:06 Jun 4, 2025

43

The Extinction of Experience - Reclaiming Our Humanity in the Face of Technology

35:19 May 28, 2025

44

America's Place in the World - Empire, Neighbor, or Something Else?

43:52 May 21, 2025

45

Trump, Trade, and Tariffs - Historical Background and Current Analysis

44:26 May 14, 2025

46

VE Day at 80 Years - The End of WW2 in Europe

42:53 May 7, 2025

47

The Challenges of Creating an American Grand Strategy

39:08 Apr 30, 2025

48

No Fun Anymore: What's Happened to the NBA?

46:19 Apr 23, 2025

49

Lexington & Concord at 250 Years: Stories from the American Revolution

43:18 Apr 16, 2025

50

Do the Democrats Have an Ideology Problem?

43:07 Apr 9, 2025

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