Constitutional Chats Presented By Constituting America

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Ep. 261 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Adam Carrington | The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution's Checks & Balances Jul 03, 2025

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The Founders knew what they did not want our new government to be. Thomas Jefferson so eloquently made the argument to break away from one form while laying the groundwork for our next form of government. Then James Madison completed that groundwork in the text of Constitution. What do we mean by this? The Declaration spoke of unalienable rights, and declared the purpose of government instituted by man is to secure these rights. The Constitution then completes those thoughts by limiting the power any one person or branch of government can have by instituting checks and balances of each branch of government on the others.. To further expound on this magnificent structure protecting our freedoms, we are thrilled to welcome back our good friend, Adam Carrington, Associate Professor and Co-Director of the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University.

Ep. 260 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Samuel Postell | Balancing Act: The Founders' Big Idea Jun 27, 2025

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Why do we consider the founding of this country to be such a momentous event that changed the trajectory of world history? Think about this: governments had risen and fallen from power for millennia before our country's birth. What was the one big idea that made our founding so unique and its effects long-lasting? To answer this lofty question, we are thrilled to have a leading American scholar as our guest today. Dr. Samuel Postell is Assistant Director of the Lyceum Scholars Program at Clemson University and will expand upon the origins of checks and balances in our U. S. Constitution and what inspired the founders!

Ep. 259 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Matthew Green | The Checks and Balances of Congress Jun 20, 2025

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We know checks and balances between the branches of federal government is a hallmark of our republic. But have you considered the checks and balances the Founders crafted into the design of Congress itself, with the House and Senate splitting legislative power? Why did the founders build in checks to prevent too much power residing within one chamber of our bi-cameral legislature and how did they accomplish this objective? To answer these questions and so many more, we are delighted to welcome Dr. Matthew Green as our special guest this week. Dr. Green is a prolific author on American politics and has been a professor of politics at Catholic University since 2005.

Ep. 258 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Col. Bryan Gibby | 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army Jun 13, 2025

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Did you know the United States Army is older than the United States? The Army has its origins in 1775 at a time when the colonists had a distrust of a standing permanent army like the British employed in the colonies. As such, it was a not a permanent army. The War of 1812 showed our country the need for a permanent national army. In the ensuing years, the United States Army has fought a Civil War, two World Wars and protected American interests around the world. To share further history and the impact of our Army, we are honored to have a very distinguished guest. Col. Bryan Gibby graduated from the United States Military Academy in West Point in 1993 and first served with the 101st Airborne Division. After two deployments to Iraq, a 3-year stint with NATO and completing his M.A. and Ph.D degrees, Col. Gibby returned to West Point where he now serves as the Deputy Head for the Department of History.

Ep. 258 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Col. Bryan Gibby | 250th Birthday of the U.S. Army Jun 13, 2025

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Ep. 257 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Tony Williams | Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness - What Does It Really Mean? Jun 06, 2025

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Thomas Jefferson cemented his legacy as an incredible orator and writer when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, almost 250 years ago. His soaring rhetoric drew inspiration from multiple government and historic traditions: from John Locke to the Magna Carta to the Enlightenment. He used phrases and words that deserve special attention. What did Jefferson mean when he talked about unalienable rights, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness, self-evident truths, and the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God? To shed important insight into this world-changing document, we are pleased to welcome back a fan-favorite guest, Tony Williams. Tony is a senior fellow at the Bill of Rights Institute and prolific author of such books as "Washington and Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America."

Ep. 256 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Vincent Phillip Muñoz | What Does "The Separation of Church and State" Really Mean? May 23, 2025

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Did you know the phrase "separation of church and state" does not appear in our Constitution? The phrase was used by Thomas Jefferson in a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802. The First Amendment does guarantee "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." What was the intent of the founders in codifying this in the Constitution? Did they intend to keep religion out of government or rather government out of religion? To help us answer these questions and so many more, we are pleased to welcome Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Concurrent Associate Professor of Law at The University of Notre Dame, as our special guest this week.

Ep. 256 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | Vincent Phillip Muñoz | What Does "The Separation of Church and State" Really Mean? May 23, 2025

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Ep. 255 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | The Presidency and Foreign Policy May 16, 2025

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Our Constitution does not spend a lot of time detailing foreign policy powers. We know the president can appoint ambassadors, negotiate treaties and use executive agreements in our relations with other governments. But beyond that, what is the role of the presidency? What are the checks and balances with the other branches? What do we mean when we say foreign policy is an "inherent" power? To walk us through this complex power, we are pleased to have Dr. James S. Robbins as our guest this week. Dr. Robbins is Dean of Academics, Institute of World Politics ; Senior Fellow in National Security Affairs at the American Foreign Policy Council; and Former special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Ep. 254 | Constitutional Chats Podcast | We the Government vs We the People: How Government Regulations Stifle Liberty May 09, 2025

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We have laws in our country passed by Congress. Then we have regulations that come out of the bureaucracy. Our guest today argues that when government grows, individual liberty shrinks. Our guest, Andrew Langer, is the president of the Institute for Liberty. He is going to discuss the benefits and costs (upwards of $4 trillion annually) of regulations, the process to challenge them and the impact of the Administrative Procedures Act (enacted in 1946) and the role of the public in the regulations process.

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