In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the ways in which human nature and classical republican theory intersect. This question is from Unit 1, Question 3 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. Question Unit 1 Question 3 To what extent was it natural for the early colonial experiments to adopt classical republican ideas of how society should function? *What are the assumptions about human nature in classical republicanism? *In your opinion, are t...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the 13th Amendment, how it has been interpreted over time, and the issue of systemic racism in the USA today. This question is from Unit 3, Question 3 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. Discussion Question Unit 3 Question 3 What did the Supreme Court mean by the phrase, “badges and incidents of slavery” in the 1883 Civil Rights Cases? What are some examples of “badges and incidents of slavery” that remai...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the issue of freedom of speech in the public square. This question is from Unit 5, Question 1 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. Discussion Question Unit 5 Question 1 The U.S. Supreme Court has recognized “streets, sidewalks, and parks” as locations where “the government’s ability to permissibly restrict expressive conduct is very limited.” How should the government be able to limit expressive conduc...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss who should interpret the constitution and which methods they should use to do so. This question is from Unit 4, Question 3 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. Discussion Question Unit 4 Question 3 “It is emphatically the province and duty of the Judicial Department to say what the law is.” Do you agree or disagree? Who decides what the Constitution means? *When, if ever, should different branch...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the amendment process and debate whether the Founders made it too difficult for us to revise the Constitution. This question is from Unit 3, Question 2 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. Discussion Question Unit 3 Question 2 How has the Constitution been reinterpreted or amended to go “hand in hand with the progress of the human mind”? *Looking back on the nation’s 250-year history, has the Constitution’s...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius delve into political theory and discuss how the ideas of both Montesquieu and Madison were incorporated into the U.S. Constitution. This question is from Unit 1, Question 1 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. Do you agree with Montesquieu’s assessments regarding the dilemmas facing large and small republics? *How did the presence of foreign powers, such as France, Spain, or neighboring Indigenous nations, shape the...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius engage in a lively discussion about the Gettysburg Address and what it tells us about our national identity. This question is from Unit 6, Question 1 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. -Why do you think Abraham Lincoln believes 1776 to be the start of a new nation instead of 1788? When do you believe that nation officially began? *What qualifies a separate region or group as a distinct, sovereign nation? *Are the...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius engage in a conversation about the advantages and disadvantages of federalism and how it affects national identity. This question is from Unit 4, Question 2 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. -What are the advantages and disadvantages of the natural tension between state and national authority in our constitutional federal democracy? -What are some significant historical or contemporary examples of federalism-related co...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the issue of executive power - both past and present. This question is from Unit 3, Question 1 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. “The President’s power, if any, to issue (an) order must stem either from an act of Congress or from the Constitution itself.” Do you agree with the Court on this? Explain. How do executive orders fit into our constitutional system of checks and balances? Should t...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius engage in a conversation about the elections and political parties in the U.S. political system. This question is from Unit 6, Question 3 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. How do modern elections in America differ from those envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution? What has been the impact of political parties on our electoral structures and governmental systems? How have the roles and responsibilities of voter...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the tensions between majority rule and minority rights. This question is from Unit 5, Question 3 of the Center for Civic Education’s We The People curriculum. How does the Bill of Rights heed Madison’s concern and protect minorities against the danger of majorities? To what extent, if any, should individual rights set forth in the Bill of Rights be limited by the will of the majority? Which rights do you think need the most protection tod...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the Albany Plan and whether this attempt at forming a union tells us something about American national identity. This question is from Unit 1, Question 2 of the Center for Civic Education’s We The People curriculum. The Albany Plan of 1754 was the first attempt to create a national union among the American colonies. What concerns or limitation led American colonies to reject the Albany Plan? How, if at all, did the outcome of the Fr...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss whether the American Revolution was a social revolution, a political revolution, or both. This question is from Unit 2, Question 1 of the Center for Civic Education’s We The People curriculum. Historian Gordon Wood wrote that in “destroying monarchy and establishing republics, they [the Founders] were changing their society as well as their governments.” * In your opinion, was the American Revolution both a political and a social re...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss James Madison’s proposal for a national veto at the 1787 Constitutional Convention. This question is from Unit 2, Question 2 of the Center for Civic Education’s We the People curriculum. James Madison proposed that the national legislature have the authority to “veto” all state laws that threatened the national good. To what extent was this a reasonable idea to place such power in the national legislature? *In your opinion, h...

In this episode, the Friends of Publius discuss the principles set forth by the legal and political scholars from We Hold These Truths.