Our Constitution

This is the fourth episode in a podcast series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by exploring the colonies’ grievances against King George III. This episode addresses the Declaration’s seventh grievance that King George III prohibited the colonies from growing in population and territory. The episode examines how the colonies departed from English restrictions on naturalization, immigration, and territorial growth, and…

This is the first episode in a podcast series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by exploring the colonies’ grievances against King George III and how these grievances shaped the Constitution. Grievances 1 and 2 address the King’s power to negative (or veto) colonial laws or suspend such laws pending a decision on whether to approve them.In addition to providing background…

This is the second episode in a podcast series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by exploring the colonies’ grievances against King George III. Grievances 3 and 4 address the King’s interference with colonial legislatures’ ability to create legislative districts to accommodate new settlers and the King’s convening of colonial assemblies in unusual places as a means of coercing them to…

This is the third episode in a podcast series celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence by exploring the colonies’ grievances against King George III. Grievances 5 and 6 address the King’s dissolution of colonial assemblies and his refusal to cause new assemblies to be elected.In addition to providing background on the grievances, the episode examines how they may have influenced the…

From January 1920 to December 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages within the United States. Studying nationwide Prohibition can inform an understanding of how the Supreme Court has interpreted the scope of Congress’s power to regulate commerce over time; how difficult it can be for the federal government to regulate individual social habits and moral choices; and…

From January 1920 to December 1933, the Eighteenth Amendment prohibited the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcoholic beverages within the United States. Studying nationwide Prohibition can inform an understanding of how the Supreme Court has interpreted the scope of Congress’s power to regulate commerce over time; how difficult it can be for the federal government to regulate individual social habits and moral choices; and…

On December 1, 2023, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor passed away at the age of 93. O’Connor served as the first female Supreme Court Justice from 1981 to 2006. She was known for her role in landmark Supreme Court decisions on abortion rights, affirmative action, federalism, the First Amendment, and many other issues.This podcast episode examines Justice O’Connor’s life and some of the highlights from…

For more than a century after the Constitution’s ratification, many states prohibited female citizens of the United States from voting in federal or state elections. Ratified in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment prohibits the federal and state governments from denying or abridging a U.S. citizen’s right to vote on the basis of sex, thereby recognizing women’s suffrage—in other words, a woman’s right to vote. This…

In Article V of the Constitution, the Framers provided for the Constitution to be amended, but the Constitution’s meaning changes in other ways. This podcast examines the mechanics of formally amending the Constitution under Article V and how the Constitution’s meaning has evolved in response to historical events, social movements, and Supreme Court decisions by looking at several key moments in the development of…

What were the Framers’ objectives when they structured the Constitution? This podcast centers the Constitution in its historical context, examining challenges the Framers’ faced in establishing the federal government, the reasons for the framework they adopted, and alternatives the Framers considered and discarded. In particular, this podcast considers the choices the Framers made when allocating federal power among the three branches of government.

Although the Constitution serves as the Supreme Law of the Land, how should its provisions be interpreted over two hundred years after it was drafted? The Supreme Court of the United States sometimes relies on certain methods of interpretation—that is, ways of interpreting a particular constitutional provision. This two-part podcast describes the most common methods of constitutional interpretation; discusses examples of Supreme Court decisions…

Although the Constitution serves as the Supreme Law of the Land, how should its provisions be interpreted over two hundred years after it was drafted? The Supreme Court of the United States sometimes relies on certain methods of interpretation—that is, ways of interpreting a particular constitutional provision. This two-part podcast describes the most common methods of constitutional interpretation; discusses examples of Supreme Court decisions…