About this podcast
How do landmark Supreme Court decisions affect our lives? What does the 2nd Amendment really say? Why does the Senate have so much power? Civics 101 is the podcast about how our democracy works…or is supposed to work, anyway.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 389 episodes
- Citizens United · 44 minToday we explain one of the most controversial Supreme Court decisions in modern history; the case that defined campaign donations as speech and therefore protected under the…
- The Procrastinator's Local Election Guide · 36 minHave you ever stared blankly at "City Clerk" on your ballot and picked a candidate at random? Feverishly searched "what is a county assessor" from your phone in the voting booth?…
- Intraparties: From the Tea Party to the DSA · 38 minWhat happens when a party forms inside of another party? How is the DSA, the Democratic Socialists of America, affecting the Democratic Party? And how did the the Tea Party shift…
- Introducing “Bear Brook: A Private Matter” · 27 minToday, we're sharing the season three premiere of Bear Brook, the critically acclaimed true crime podcast from New Hampshire Public Radio's Pulitzer Prize-nominated Document…
- On the Midterms and Civic Participation with 1A · 36 minThis October, Nick and Hannah sat down with Jenn White on WAMU's 1A. They talked about the outsized power a voter has (typically) in midterms, what we're seeing in this upcoming…
- The National Mall · 39 minAs a kingless, queenless, monarch-free nation, what do we decide to put in the space that best represents us to the world? Why is the Washington Monument a giant obelisk? And…
- What Does it Mean to Be a Democrat or a Republican? · 44 minToday we look at the creation and evolution of the two major parties in the US; the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. How did they come about? How did their ideals shift…
- How a Bill (REALLY) Becomes a Law · 28 minOur final "Back to School" episode is a nod to how we started in the first place. Our show was created to be "Schoolhouse Rock for adults," and no mention of Schoolhouse Rock is…
- What is Federalism? · 28 minA tug of war, a balancing act, two dancers dragging each other across the floor. This is the perpetual ebb and flow of power between the states and the federal government. How…
- U.S. Versus: The Two Party System · 30 minAmericans often take issue with our two-party system. So what other options are out there? Today, with the help of political scientists Guillermo Rosas and Robin Best, we explore…
- These United Hosts · 48 minIn which we take an historical look at the interplay between marriage and democracy, and Hannah and Nick reveal a Civics 101 secret years in the making. INCOGNI DEAL: They can't…
- Our 250th Annual Trivia Episode! · 31 minNot really. But we send one of our own out in style by asking (and answering) some very tough questions. Including one you might recognize. INCOGNI DEAL: They can't harm you, if…
- Article II of the Constitution · 38 minArticle II, which lays out the powers, duties, and limits on presidential powers, is one of the most debated and reinterpreted parts of the Constitution. So what does it say?…
- SCOTUS Decision Roundup · 36 minThe Supreme Court wrapped it's 2025-2026 term and headed off on summer recess, so we're running through the biggest decisions from the bench. What did the court have to say about…
- What is communism, socialism, and fascism? · 34 minWith the midterms coming up, these words are being uttered more and more each day. So what does it really mean when we call someone a socialist, communist, or fascist? Where did…
- Article I of The Constitution · 49 minMaybe you’ve read the Constitution a ton of times. Maybe you’ve never read it. Maybe you even have one somewhere in your home! But, even for us civics lovers, there are times we…
- Why do Americans love conspiracy theories? · 43 minConspiracy theories are not new in the United States, but over the years they have taken on a life and power of their own. How did conspiracy theories become so entrenched in the…
- Do we have separation of church and state? · 32 minWhat did Jefferson mean when he wrote about a "wall of separation" between the church and the state? How have we interpreted the pair of clauses in the 1st Amendment regarding…
- Why is our union so imperfect? (With Jill Lepore) · 55 minPulitzer-prize winning historian and author Jill Lepore has spent her career uncovering the stories we often do not tell, particularly about American history and democracy. In…
- How we started, how it's going · 24 minThis is part two of our story about the original story of America we don't talk about...and how it ties to where we are today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
- America's other origin story · 31 minThis episode is being recorded just a couple of days before the 4th of July, and as so many are calling it, America's 250th birthday. And we here at Civics 101 have spent a lot…
- Why is Congress like this? · 28 minToday in our continued exploration of why the US is the way it is, we get to Article I. Why did the framers design Congress the way they did? Why did the small states come out so…
- When a flag is against the rules... or the law · 29 minIn recent years, flag restriction rules, policies and laws have been cropping up across the country. Whether the government is telling you what you can fly or what you cannot…
- Lessons from the American Revolution (with Ken Burns) · 47 minKen Burns and Sarah Botstein spent nearly a decade making a twelve-hour documentary on the American Revolution. This is what they learned from the thousands of stories and events…
- How to Make Things Better · 28 minToday we complete our trio of episodes in collaboration with iCivics, where we explore why people of myriad groups are having a tough time, civics-wise. In this episode, we tell…
- How did we get so red, white and blue? · 28 minWhether you fly it, wear it or want nothing to do with it, the American flag says a lot in and about the United States. Red, white and blue is far from exclusive to our nation…
- Why Students Are Having a Tough Time · 28 minToday we share our second installment on why things are tough in the civics world. Specifically, we talk about how students are doing in civics classrooms and on national…
- How making people wait sparked the American Revolution · 44 minOnce upon a time, American British colonists were separated from power, decision-making, culture and information by thousands of miles and many weeks. As Helena Yoo-Roth puts it…
- Why Teachers Are Having a Tough Time · 29 minThis is the first episode in a series we are doing with iCivics, who invited us to their National Forum for Civic Learning Week. Today we share the many conversations we had…
- What did the world really think about the Declaration of Independence? · 32 minFor Americans today, it's a treasure. Scripture. The thing that made us. It wasn't always that way, though. This is the story of the Declaration of Independence before it was…
- Ask a Judge: What is Pro Se? · 25 minWhat is the process when a person wishes to represent themselves in court? How common is it? Is it true that a person who represents themselves "has a fool for a client?" Today…
- What's the Strait of Hormuz? And how do blockades work? · 24 minYou've been hearing about it in the news, but what exactly is the Strait of Hormuz? And as for those blockades...how do they work? DONATE TO THE PODCAST HERE. Learn more about…
- How did federal income taxes get this way? · 40 minWe haven't always had a federal income tax, and in the beginning, it only applied to the very richest Americans. So how did we end up with the permanent income tax we have today…
- What is the 25th Amendment? · 29 minSometimes, news happens in the real world, and suddenly a political or civics topic becomes very top of mind for members of the public. And when that happens, we at Civics 101…
- The Raw Milk Question · 37 minToday we bring you a story from our sister podcast Outside/In, produced and reported by Marina Henke. DONATE TO THE PODCAST! In 2009, the state of Maine ordered farmer Dan…
- Can American elections be "nationalized"? What does that mean? · 34 minIn this country, the states run elections. Congress is empowered to step in; the president is not. So what does it mean for the president to call on a political party to "take…
- Why are we paying more for gas right now? · 22 minFour years ago we made an episode about how the president has very limited powers when it comes to lowering the price of gas. Turns out, we hadn't considered every possibility…
- Someone oughta open up a window · 30 minToday we take a field trip to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where Nick explains why he's like this via an obsession with 1776, the movie based on the musical…
- The Civic Role of Religious Leaders · 31 minWhy do religious leaders step out from behind the pulpit and take to the streets? What does it mean to practice what you preach? As faith groups across the nation stand alongside…
- Are you really mad? What can you do about that? · 48 minAs hosts of a civics podcast, we are not allowed to advocate for policy. But you can. Here are three things you can do to get your elected officials to listen when you're mad…
- What does "detention" mean? · 36 minWe've used the word "detention" many times when we've talked about immigration laws and ICE. But what does that word actually mean? A listener wanted to know, so we got the…
- Why did the FBI keep tabs on high school students? · 38 minAbout a week ago, host Hannah McCarthy stumbled on an article by an historian named Dr. Aaron Fountain Jr. What she read kind of blew her mind, so she decided to give him a call…
- When did immigrants become "illegal?" · 31 minThe rules about who could and could not come and live in the United States have changed many times over the last 250 years, but exactly when restrictions were first put on…
- What is ICE's job? · 38 minWe examine what the current presidential administration tells us about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and what the numbers, courts and history of the agency have to say…
- Safe to Drink · 34 minIntroducing “Safe to Drink:” A New Hampshire town finds out its water has been contaminated by a chemical. The most basic question — whether the water is safe to drink — doesn’t…
- What happens when it's not NASA bringing civilians to space? · 33 minIn 1985, high school teacher Christa McAuliffe was selected to become the first private citizen to travel to space. After the Challenger explosion that killed her and 6 other…
- What is the Monroe Doctrine? · 28 minAfter its inception in 1823, the Monroe Doctrine was largely ignored. But after a while, different administrations saw the value in maintaining control over the western…
- How does asylum work? And what has changed? · 42 minOn this episode, we’re talking about the history and evolution of United States’ refugee and asylum policy. We have been a country of exclusion for about as long as we’ve…
- What's happening with Venezuela? · 22 minSometimes, we just have to make a "101" episode of Civics 101. That is the case this week, in the wake of the arrest of Venezuela's sitting president by the United States. So…
- Restoring Civility in our Politics (on The Middle) · 57 minThis week Nick appears on The Middle, with Jeremy Hobson. The topic is civility in politics, and they're joined by former New Hampshire State Legislator Doug Teschner and…
