Consider the Constitution
by The Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution
Latest episode
You Can’t Defer the Maintenance on the Republic
You Can’t Defer the Maintenance on the Republic
About this podcast
Consider the Constitution is a podcast from the Robert H. Smith Center for the Constitution at James Madison's Montpelier. The show provides insight into constitutional issues that directly affect every American. Hosted by Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey the podcast features interviews with constitutional scholars, policy and subject matter experts, heritage professionals, and legal practitioners.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 74 episodes
- You Can’t Defer the Maintenance on the Republic · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 21The Constitution created a government. It did not create citizens. Once it took effect, Americans had to figure out what people needed to know to govern themselves, and who…
- The Unfinished Constitution · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 20The Constitution began as an experiment. Once it took effect, Americans had to figure out what it actually meant. They did not agree. Host Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey talks with…
- The Declaration Is Our Inheritance · 24 min · Season 3 Episode 19The Declaration of Independence announced more than a separation from Britain. It made a claim about government itself: that people hold rights government did not grant and…
- You Compromise on Politics, Not on Principles · 34 min · Season 3 Episode 18We know James Madison the thinker. The architect of the Constitution. The author of the Bill of Rights. But Madison was also a working politician — and a very good one. Dr…
- The Chapter Between the Revolution and the Constitution · 34 min · Season 3 Episode 17We tend to jump straight from the Revolution to the Constitutional Convention — from a young James Madison to the Father of the Constitution. But the years in between are where…
- More Than Decoration: What Montpelier's Objects Reveal About Power and Slavery · 31 min · Season 3 Episode 16What can a bird's nest, a set of porcelain ice cream vases, and a portrait of Confucius tell us about the early American republic? In this episode, host Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey…
- The Man Behind "We the People": Recovering James Wilson · 37 min · Season 3 Episode 15The three most famous words in American government — We the People — were written by a founder most Americans have never heard of. Host Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey sits down with…
- Sacred Words: Jefferson, Madison, and the Language of Religious Freedom · 39 min · Season 3 Episode 14Thomas Jefferson and James Madison agreed on almost everything when it came to religious freedom. But they talked about it in completely different ways. Historian Dr. John…
- Becoming Madison · 20 min · Season 3 Episode 13We know James Madison as the Father of the Constitution. But who was he before that? In this special episode, Dr. Katie Crawford Lackey takes the guest seat to explore the…
- Making the Constitution Readable: PBS' Ben Sheehan on Civics, Comedy, and Closing the Knowledge Gap · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 12What does the Constitution actually say — and why haven't most of us read it? Ben Sheehan, bestselling author and award-winning digital creator, joins host Dr. Katie Crawford…
- 250 Years Later: The Philosopher Who Made It Possible · 32 min · Episode 11The words are familiar — life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness — but do we really know what they meant to the men who wrote them? As America marks 250 years of independence…
- The Constitution Before the Constitution with Dr. Zachary Deibel · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 10Before the Declaration of Independence, before the Constitutional Convention, colonists were already debating the meaning of a constitution — and it didn't look anything like the…
- The Temple and the Republic: Architecture, Liberty, and Madison's Legacy · 29 min · Season 3 Episode 9This episode is part of a special five-part miniseries examining James Madison's role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. As part of Montpelier's…
- Women and the Constitution · 34 min · Season 3 Episode 8When the Constitution was drafted in 1787, women weren't explicitly excluded — they were simply not addressed. Dr. Catherine Allgor, historian and former President of the…
- Promises to Keep: Madison, Self-Government, and the Citizen's Responsibility · 27 min · Season 3 Episode 7This episode is part of a five-part miniseries examining James Madison's role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. Part of Montpelier's commemoration…
- The Supreme Court's Credibility · 32 min · Season 3 Episode 6The Supreme Court has no army, no budget, and no way to enforce its own rulings. Its power rests entirely on the credibility of its words. Attorney and author Peter Cohen joins…
- Madison's Revolutionary Legacy: From Virginia Rights to the War of 1812 · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 6This episode is part of a special five-part miniseries examining James Madison's role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. As part of Montpelier's…
- The Foundation of Legislative Politics · 35 min · Season 3 Episode 4When Congress can't pass laws, is the problem in the Constitution—or in the rules that govern how legislators actually do their work? In this episode, Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey…
- Loyalists, Patriots, and the Reality of Revolution · 36 min · Season 3 Episode 3This episode is part of a special five-part miniseries examining James Madison's role in the American Revolution and the founding of the United States. As part of Montpelier's…
- Forging the Revolution: Montpelier's Blacksmith Shop and the Hidden Network of the American War · 28 min · Season 3 Episode 2What can 500 pounds of slag reveal about the American Revolution? In this episode, Dr. Katie Crawford-Lackey talks with Dr. Matt Reeves, Montpelier's Director of Archaeology…
