The American Social Fabric

Latest Episodes:

Episode 14 - Letters from the Federal Farmer (Part 1) Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to the 14th episode of the American Social Fabric! This week we discuss the first installment in the series of anti-federalist letters known as the "Letters from the Federal Farmer to The Republican". You can find a copy of this letter at the following link: https://press pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch8s12.html Also, if you want to follow along in the book I am using as a primary source, it is called "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" and is edited by Robert J. Allison and Bernard Bailyn. In this episode, as we explore the letter, the author asks the interesting question - did America need the Constitution? My answer is, of course, a resounding yes, but it is interesting to hear the perspective of those who were there when the decisions about ratification was being debated. Particularly, the opinions of those who thought that even more protection of liberty and freedom was needed. Thank you for checking out the podcast and I hope you find some value in it!

Episode 13 - An Attempted Moderate - Elbridge Gerry and his Letter to the Massachusetts Legislature Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to the 13th episode of the American Social Fabric! This week we will discuss Elbridge Gerry's Letter the the Massachusetts Legislature published in the Massachusetts Centinel on November 3, 1787. You can find a copy of this letter on page 2 of the following link: https://archive.csac.history.wisc.edu/DOM_04.2015_Gerrys_Objections.pdf. Also, if you want to follow along in the book I am using as a primary source, it is called "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" and is edited by Robert J. Allison and Bernard Bailyn.

In this episode we explore the letter, Elbridge's objections to the draft constitution and a message of moderation and duty as an American.

Thank you for checking out the podcast and I hope you find some value in it!

Episode 12 - Lessons from the Founding Fathers (Part 1) Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the American Social Fabric Podcast. Episode 12 is the first "summary" episode of the podcast where we extract and summarize the main lessons and interesting ideas from the various texts we have covered thus far. The things we discuss this week include the miracle of the Constitution and the growth of power. I hope you enjoy!

Episode 11 - The Freedom to Protest and The Freedom to Speak Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the American Social Fabric podcast! This week is a short episode as I just wanted to highlight the importance of the freedoms of speech, assembly and protest to a free society and for a people to determine their own future. Also, in the "Good" we discuss the importance of determining your own meaning in life so that you can live in accordance with that meaning. You can find the clip that I mention when discussing the "Good" here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hAgLW-LXHIo. Thank you for listening and I hope you have a great rest of your week. Tune in next week for a standard length episode which summarizes the major points raised in the first ten episodes of this show.

Episode 10 - The Federalist Papers No. 1 - Three Timely Warnings from Alexander Hamilton Mar 02, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to the 10th episode of the American Social Fabric! This week we will discuss the first of the Federalist Paper articles published in the Independent Journal of New York on October 27, 1787. You can find a copy of this article here: https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/text-1-10#s-lg-box-wrapper-25493264. Also, if you want to follow along in the book I am using as a primary source, it is called "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" and is edited by Robert J. Allison and Bernard Bailyn.

In this episode we explore the article and three of the "warnings" from Alexander Hamilton that are in the text and which are applicable to our modern context, and those are: 1) the danger of ego and hubris in political debate, 2) the dangers of political parties, and 3) the dangers of political pundits seeking power through appeals to liberty. After our discussion of the article, we move into the "Good" where we discuss goal setting and achieving your goals.

Thank you for checking out the podcast and I hope you find some value in it!

Episode 9 - Cato III Feb 23, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to Episode 9 of the American Social Fabric Podcast! This podcast explores the Founding Fathers, core American principles, and the ideas and debates that forged our great country.

This week we explore the question - does a free republic have to be small to function? I certainly don't think so in our modern age, but the unknown author of the Cato III article posted in the New York Journal on October 24, 1787 raises some interesting questions regarding what makes a state legitimate to its people, how do you prevent private citizens from gaining too much power, and can people care for others outside of their immediate community? A copy of the Cato III article can be found at: https://archive.csac.history.wisc.edu/26_Cato_III.pdf and if you want to follow along in the book I am using as a primary source, it is called "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" and is edited by Robert J. Allison and Bernard Bailyn. Finally, if you are interested in the passage I read for "the Good" segment of this week's Episode, it is from Ryan Holiday's "The Daily Stoic", the July 4th entry.

Remember to keep your flame shining bright and thank you for checking out the podcast.

Episode 8 - Jefferson's Response from France Feb 16, 2022

Show notes

In this week's Episode 8, we cover Thomas Jefferson's response to James Madison's letter from Episode 7. In Jefferson's December 20, 1787 letter, he discuss his likes and dislikes of the draft Constitution which was put forward to the states for ratification. In particular, Jefferson likes the separation of powers between the states and federal government, the balance of power between the large and small states, and the veto vested in the President. Jefferson's dislikes include the lack of an express Bill of Rights and the lack of a limit on Presidential terms. The letter discussed in this week's episode can be found at: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-10-02-0210. Also, if you would like to buy the book I am using for research it is "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" edited by Robert Allison and Bernard Bailyn.

Finally, we end with a quote from Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, 12.1 where the focus is on finding happiness or contentment in the current moment instead of making such fulfilment contingent on some future event. I believe that such an outlook will help everyone deal with both politics and life in a better manner.

Episode 7 - State Power Feb 09, 2022

Show notes

On this week's episode we discuss James Madison's letter to Thomas Jefferson dated October 24, 1787. In this letter, Madison is updating Jefferson (who is away representing the US in France) about the Constitutional Convention and draft Constitution. You can find a copy of the letter here: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-12-02-0274. Also, if you would like to buy the book I am using for research it is "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" edited by Robert Allison and Bernard Bailyn.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy the podcast!

Episode 6 - A Political Dialogue & Some Thoughts on American Foreign Policy (Ukraine Crisis) Feb 02, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the sixth episode of the American Social Fabric Podcast! This week we discuss A Political Dialogue, a short publication from the Massachusetts Centinel published in 1787. You can find a copy here: https://archive.csac.history.wisc.edu/political_dialogue.pdf. After the quick discussion of this article, I share some thoughts about America's inability to plan and implement an effective foreign policy in our divided political climate.

I hope you enjoy this episode and please share your thoughts in the Q&A comments!

Episode 5 - Brutus I and the Anti-Federalists Jan 26, 2022

Show notes

Welcome back to the fifth episode of the American Social Fabric Podcast. This week we discuss the Federalists and Anti-Federalists before diving into Brutus I, an Anti-Federalist article published to oppose the ratification of the Constitution. In this episode we discuss the Anti-Federalist concern over excessive federal power and the continued creep of growing federal power. You can find the more information on the article at: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/brutus-i-2/.

Thank you for your interest in the podcast and have a great week!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The American Social Fabric

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected