The American Idea
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.
Notable Guests
Episodes (244)
The Last Adieu: Lafayette and Early America
The American Idea
Completing the Founding: The Northwest Ordinance of 1787
The American Idea
Fact or Fiction? Historians Discuss Young Washington
The American Idea
America's First Citizen: Character Lessons from George Washington
The American Idea
Why Did the Founders Create a Republic?
The American Idea
A Sober View of Human Nature: Federalist 10 and Factions
The American Idea
More than a Document: Living the Declaration of Independence
The American Idea
Our Right to Privacy and the 4th Amendment
The American Idea
Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations at 250 Years
The American Idea
Returning to First Principles: America's Machiavellian Moment?
The American Idea
Religious Liberty at the Founding and Today
The American Idea
The Voting Rights Act and the Callais Supreme Court Decision - Context and Analy...
The American Idea
School Choice: The Past, Present, and Future of a Movement
The American Idea
"Mischievous Cousins' - A British Perspective on the American Revolution
The American Idea
From 1776 to Civil Rights: How the Declaration Shaped the Struggle for Equality
The American Idea
Ronald Reagan and the Declaration of Independence
The American Idea
From Madison to Modern Politics: The Separation of Powers Debate
The American Idea
Mobilize: How to Reboot the American Industrial Base and Prevent World War III
The American Idea
Missouri v. Biden: Free Speech, Coercion, and Government Power
The American Idea
Natural Rights: The Declaration's Central Claim
The American Idea
The Causes and Politics of Financial Bubbles
The American Idea
Did FDR Threaten the Fundamental Freedoms in the Bill of Rights?
The American Idea
Thomas Willing: The Revolution’s Forgotten Financier
The American Idea
What Can We Learn from the Antifederalists?
The American Idea
James Madison and The Federalist
The American Idea
How to Read The Federalist
The American Idea
George Washington - The Indispensable Founding Father
The American Idea
Thomas Jefferson: Essential American Founder
The American Idea
Huey Long - American Populist
The American Idea
Women’s Suffrage, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the Declaration of Independence
The American Idea
What Makes Americans a "Declarational" People?
The American Idea
The American Revolution and the Fate of the World
The American Idea
2025 End of Year Message: Looking Back and Forward
The American Idea
Special Episode: Born American, But in the Wrong Place
The American Idea
How Does the Declaration of Independence Influence the Constitution?
The American Idea
When in the Course of Human Events: Creating the Declaration of Independence
The American Idea
“If they mean to have a war...”: The Causes of the American Revolution
The American Idea
What Did Frederick Douglass Think of Abraham Lincoln?
The American Idea
The Constitution and the Rule of Law
The American Idea
Want to Understand America? Study the Gettysburg Address
The American Idea
Entitlement Reform: A Problem We Can No Longer Avoid
The American Idea
Inside Camp David - The Private World of the Presidential Retreat
The American Idea
Alexander Hamilton and the Federalist
The American Idea
What Can We Learn from Herbert Hoover?
The American Idea
Taking Manhattan - The Creation of New York
The American Idea
The Pathfinder and the President: John C. Fremont, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civi...
The American Idea
Congress: What It Was Meant to Be and What It's Become5
The American Idea
The Constitutional Convention was a Four-Act Drama
The American Idea
The American Way of War
The American Idea
What are Capital Markets and How Do They Impact Our Economy?
The American Idea