Podcasts · Government · History
Civics 101
NHPR
300 episodes
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 page 1 of 6
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Intraparties: From the Tea Party to the DSA
What 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 the GOP's platform back in 2010?…
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Introducing “Bear Brook: A Private Matter”
Today, 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 team. Bear Brook returns with A Private…
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On the Midterms and Civic Participation with 1A
This 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 election regarding campaign spending and…
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The National Mall
As 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 while we're at it, what's the deal with…
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What Does it Mean to Be a Democrat or a Republican?
Today 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 over the last 200+ years? And where…
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How a Bill (REALLY) Becomes a Law
Our 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 complete without a sad little scrap of…
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What is Federalism?
A 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 can things be legal in a state but illegal…
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U.S. Versus: The Two Party System
Americans 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 the reason why we have (and may always…
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These United Hosts
In 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 harm you, if they can't find you! To…
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Our 250th Annual Trivia Episode!
Not 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 they can't find you! To get an…
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Article II of the Constitution
Article 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? Today we are joined by Dr. Corey…
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SCOTUS Decision Roundup
The 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 our constitution, our federal…
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What is communism, socialism, and fascism?
With 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 these ideologies come from, and why do…
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Article I of The Constitution
Maybe 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 forget what exactly is in it. However,…
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Why do Americans love conspiracy theories?
Conspiracy 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 American mind? Why is it that, even if…
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Do we have separation of church and state?
What 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 religion? And what is the current…
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Why is our union so imperfect? (With Jill Lepore)
Pulitzer-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 her most recent books, These Truths and…
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How we started, how it's going
This 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 megaphone.fm/adchoices
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America's other origin story
This 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 of this year trying to understand when…
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Why is Congress like this?
Today 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 far ahead? And what, potentially, would…
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When a flag is against the rules... or the law
In 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, there's always something behind the flag.…
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Lessons from the American Revolution (with Ken Burns)
Ken 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 that resulted in the United States of…
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How to Make Things Better
Today 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 you how to eradicate your cynicism and…
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How did we get so red, white and blue?
Whether 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 and yet it is very much our brand... and…
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Why Students Are Having a Tough Time
Today 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 assessments. But! It's not all bad news. Shawn…
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How making people wait sparked the American Revolution
Once 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, time flowed evenly outward from the…
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Why Teachers Are Having a Tough Time
This 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 with civics and social studies teachers…
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What did the world really think about the Declaration of Independence?
For 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 enshrined in our collective national…
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Ask a Judge: What is Pro Se?
What 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 in our "Ask a Judge" series, attorney…
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What's the Strait of Hormuz? And how do blockades work?
You'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 your ad choices. Visit…
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How did federal income taxes get this way?
We 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, with all its complicated rules about…
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What is the 25th Amendment?
Sometimes, 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 often say, hey…we have an episode about…
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The Raw Milk Question
Today 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 Brown to stop selling his raw milk. It…
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Can American elections be "nationalized"? What does that mean?
In 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 over." Is that allowed? What would that…
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Why are we paying more for gas right now?
Four 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. Today, we talk about how a president can…
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Someone oughta open up a window
Today 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 based on the true events that launched a…
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The Civic Role of Religious Leaders
Why 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 protestors and assert their beliefs, we…
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Are you really mad? What can you do about that?
As 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 about something. By way of example, Nick…
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What does "detention" mean?
We'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 answer. Learn more about your ad choices.…
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Why did the FBI keep tabs on high school students?
About 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. Learn more about your ad choices.…
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When did immigrants become "illegal?"
The 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 immigration might surprise you. Today,…
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What is ICE's job?
We 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. For more information on the data…
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Safe to Drink
Introducing “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 have a clear answer. Nobody seems to…
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What happens when it's not NASA bringing civilians to space?
In 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 astronauts, NASA scrapped its Teacher in…
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What is the Monroe Doctrine?
After 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 hemisphere. And notably, it is having a…
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How does asylum work? And what has changed?
On 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 projected the image of a democratic refuge. We…
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What's happening with Venezuela?
Sometimes, 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, what's happening with Venezuela, Maduro,…
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Restoring Civility in our Politics (on The Middle)
This 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 Citizens Count Executive Director Anna Brown.…
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Probable Claus: Is Santa a Criminal?
Today we answer this question from a listener, "Is Santa a criminal?" We get to the bottom of the myriad actions of the jolly old elf, and whether he could reasonably be tried for civil and criminal violations,…
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What is the filibuster?
Why does it take, in practice, 60 votes for a bill to pass in the Senate? Why doesn't it seem like anyone is up there talking for days anymore? And why do we even have it in the first place? Today is all about the…
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