In this week's episode of The American Founding, Dr. Jay Cost examines the fight to ratify the Constitution in Pennsylvania. Federalist supporters of the Constitution pushed for an early convention to keep opposition from rising. Their gambit succeeded, as Pennsylvania became just the second state to ratify. But their bare-knuckled tactics provoked outrage from Anti-Federalist opponents, demonstrating that the fight over the Constitution would be long and brutal.  

The Constitution received overwhelming support at the Constitutional Convention, but it was not unanimous. The most prominent opponent was George Mason of Virginia. A widely respected Revolutionary leader, Mason played a constructive role at the Convention, but ultimately could not bring himself to sign. Join us as we discover how Mason's opposition inspired the Anti-Federalist movement that would nearly defeat the Constitution on its way to ratification. 

On the back of the great seal is the Latin phrase, Novus Ordo Seclorum, or "new order of the ages." How exactly did the Constitution usher in this new order? What precisely was new about it? What was it supposed to look like? In this week's episode of the American Founding, we look at the Constitution in its entirety, trying to understand what kind of new order for the ages the Framers sought to inaugurate.  

This week's episode of The American Founding will look at John Adams. A brilliant but unconventional political thinker, his legacy is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the Founders. Condemned in his day as a turncoat against the republicanism of the American Revolution, Adams was in fact deeply worried about the potential rise of oligarchy, or the rule of the rich. Many of his warnings were prescient, and so Adams is as relevant for us today as any of the American founders.  

In this episode of The American Founding, Cost examines the political thought of Thomas Jefferson. A brilliant and complex individual, Jefferson leaves a legacy of inconsistency. The advocate for individual liberty, he owned hundreds of slaves. A politician devoted to government frugality, he died deeply in depth. What can the sphinx-like Jefferson tell us about America and its traditions? 

The gruesome assassination of conservative Charlie Kirk yesterday is without precedent. Kirk was murdered in broad daylight merely for speaking his mind. Scores of his political opponents took to social media to cheer his untimely death, another sign of a culture that rejects the basic principles of the First Amendment.   Free speech is not an incidental right to the republic. The United States of America cannot survive as a free nation without the First Amendment right to free speech, which carries an obligation to tolerate language we disagree with. Speech is not violence. People whose views we disagree with are not fascists.  

This episode will look at the political theory and social status of George Washington. Remembered by Henry Lee as, "First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of His Countrymen," Washington occupied an ambiguous place in the nation. For here was a country premised on social and political equality, yet with an individual who clearly was its first person. Washington was keenly aware of his role in the nation, and sought to be a unifying figure who stood above faction, while promoting economic development that would bring the disparate parts of the nation together.  

In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost will take a close look at the political theory of Alexander Hamilton. The author of most of the Federalist essays, Hamilton nevertheless did not participate at the Constitutional Convention nearly as much as James Madison, Gouverneur Morris, or others. Still, he offered a boldly elitist theory of constitutional government. While it was wildly out of step with the rest of the Convention, Hamilton would go on to pursue his vision of republicanism during the Washington Administration, which makes his ideas important to consider carefully.

On this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost discusses how the Constitution lays out the concept of federalism, or power sharing between the state and national governments. The states were granted an important but ambiguous role in the early Constitution, and it would be up to later generations to determine exactly where the line between state and federal authority belonged.

In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost explores the system of checks and balances that runs through the Constitution. It was not enough that the branches of government be separate from one another. Each must have the ability to defend itself from encroachments on its power. To develop this idea the Framers borrowed heavily from the ancient Roman Republic, which carefully balanced power between different factions to sustain itself for centuries.   

By popular request ... the first episode of the original Constitutionally Speaking! In this inaugural episode, Jay and his co-host Luke Thompson discuss "Why the Constitution Matters."   Look for more of these old episodes in coming weeks and months!

In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost breaks down the Electoral College. A subject of a great deal of contemporary criticism, the Electoral College is perhaps the most misunderstood part of the Constitution. The Framers created it as an institution to place the president above the political fray, but it never really worked and was abandoned after the Election of 1800. Still, understanding the Electoral College provides a sense of how the Framers expected the president to function in the political system. 

In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost examines the compromise of slavery forged at the Constitutional Convention. While most delegates understood on an intellectual level that slavery was incompatible with a free republic, all were willing to compromise on the issue. Thus, the Constitution reflected an oligarchy, where political power was related to ownership of human beings. At the same time, the subtext of the Constitution quietly suggested the immorality of slavery, paving the way for its ultimate destruction. 

In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost discusses the "Great Compromise" at the Constitutional Convention that led to the United States Senate. The delegates at the Convention decided on a House apportioned by population while each state would have an equal share in the Senate. This compromise was necessary in 1787 and remains essential today, Dr. Cost argues, because a republic as large as the United States must account for geography. 

In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost gives an overview of the Constitutional Convention in 1787, starting with a look at the Virginia Plan. Drafted mainly by James Madison, this plan envisioned a bold national government — but would the other delegates agree? Dr. Cost goes on to discuss some of the big personalities at the Convention, including James Wilson, Gouverneur Morris, and Alexander Hamilton. He then looks at the major factions that would have to somehow agree on a new system of government. 

In this episode of the American Founding, Dr. Cost introduces the "Man with the Plan" — James Madison. This unassuming son of a Virginia planter would emerge in 1787 as the most brilliant political philosopher the Founding generation would have. His plan? Go big. The way to save the United States was to build a truly national republic. 

On this episode of the American Founding, Jay examines how the Articles of Confederation failed to hold the country together in the 1780s. By the middle of the decade, it was clear to many nationalists that the Articles were a bad system of government. And when Daniel Shays and his Regulators began seizing Massachusetts courthouses in 1786, it was finally time to act. 

This episode will look at "America's Mulligan," the Articles of Confederation. The first system of government in the United States, the Articles lasted from 1777 until 1789. They are largely remembered as a failure. Yet in creating this system of government, the Americans were drawing upon the lessons of history and theory. 

Welcome to the third episode. The American Founding is a live web series by Jay Cost, PhD of the Institute for Faith & Freedom. Every Thursday at 7 p.m. EST, Dr. Cost will examine interesting and often unexplored parts of the story of how the United States laid the foundations for the freest country in the history of the world. The big ideas, the legendary personalities, the classic debates, the petty rivalries, and more!

The American Founding: Why America Welcome to the second show. The American Founding is a live web series by Jay Cost, PhD of the Institute for Faith & Freedom. Every Thursday at 7 p.m. EST, Dr. Cost will examine interesting and often unexplored parts of the story of how the United States laid the foundations for the freest country in the history of the world. The big ideas, the legendary personalities, the classic debates, the petty rivalries, and more!