Shows
Civics In A YearRemember The LadiesA century of episodes calls for a wider lens, and we open it fully: the founding wasn’t just hammered out in halls and pamphlets by famous men—it was argued, nurtured, and lived by women whose ideas changed the course of American liberty. We pull threads from homes and letters into the political tapestry, showing how civic virtue took shape through family, education, economic agency, and public authorship.We explore Abigail Adams’s push for legal and economic recognition within marriage and household management, Mercy Otis Warren’s “deep cut” anti-federalist critique that helped spur the Bill of Righ...
2025-11-2113 minCivics In A YearPhillis Wheatley, First Poet Of A New NationWe trace Phillis Wheatley’s journey from captivity to literary force, exploring how her poems speak to faith, freedom, and belonging during the American founding. We highlight her craft, the battle to be believed, and why her voice reframes the Revolution.• capture in Africa and arrival in Boston • education in the Wheatley home and early brilliance • eulogy poems, public readings, and patronage • the publication controversy and authorship “trial” • patriotism and British identity in tension • faith shaping moral claims about slavery • “On Being Brought” and its paradoxes • letter to Samson Occom and “modern Egyptians” • why...
2025-11-1917 minCivics In A YearJudith Sargent Murray and the Roots of American FeminismA forgotten voice sharpened the edge of American liberty—she did it with clarity, courage, and a printing press that didn’t always want her words. We sit down with Dr. Kirstin Burkhaugto explore the life and legacy of Judith Sargent Murray, the self-taught Boston writer whose 1790 essay On the Equality of the Sexes argued that women possess the same moral and intellectual capacities as men. Years before Mary Wollstonecraft’s landmark work, Murray was already building a distinctly American case for women’s political equality—rooted in empirical observation, everyday experience, and a Universalist theology that saw all souls as o...
2025-11-1811 minCivics In A YearMercy Otis Warren: The Pen That Pressed for the Bill of RightsWe trace the life and ideas of Mercy Otis Warren, the writer who helped secure a culture of liberty—and a Bill of Rights—without a seat at the Convention. From a rare classical education to salons with the Sons of Liberty, her pen shaped policy and public virtue.• Mercy Otis Warren’s early education and family background• Hosting and influencing the Sons of Liberty network• Friendship with John Adams and first published poem• Plays, poems, essays, and a pioneering Revolution history• Anti‑Federalist critique and Observations on the New Constitution• Locke’s influence, individua...
2025-11-1715 minCivics In A YearMartha Washington And Deborah Sampson: Two Paths Of CourageWe explore how Martha Washington and Deborah Sampson advanced the Revolution through very different forms of leadership. One shaped morale and public life; the other broke barriers to fight and spy under a borrowed name.• Pairing Martha Washington and Deborah Sampson through military connection• Deborah Sampson’s enlistment as Robert Shirtliff and covert missions• Self-treatment of wounds to protect her identity• Discovery, honorable discharge, and veteran legacy• Martha Washington’s destroyed correspondence and historical traces• Presence at Valley Forge and role in sustaining morale• Defining the social tone for the early capital and first...
2025-11-1413 minCivics In A YearAbigail and John: How a Marriage Shaped American PoliticsPower changes when it meets a clear-eyed partner. That’s the thread that runs through our conversation with Dr. Kirsten Birkhaug as we trace the political and personal partnership of John and Abigail Adams—two sharp minds who treated marriage like a working lab for ideas that would shape the early republic. We open with why their story is the right entry point for Women of the Founding, then follow the through line from courtship candor to presidential counsel, guided by the letters that map their lifelong exchange.John’s reputation as a formidable thinker grows more intere...
2025-11-1314 min
Acton LineActon Rundown | October 2025This month on the Acton Rundown, Dan and Dylan chat about upcoming Acton events and new video content.
Essays and Books:Universal Basic Community Now! | Acton Institute
The Evidence of Things Not Seen: Reflections on Faith, Science, and Economics | Vernon L. Smith
Video Content:
What Is the Collins Center for Abrahamic Heritage?
Upcoming Events:
2025 Pittsburgh Dinner | Acton Institute
Orthodox Christian Social Thought: The Kingdom of God and the Common Good | Acton Institute
2025 Portland Dinner | Ac...
2025-10-0613 min
This ConstitutionSeason 1 Extra, Episode B | A Woman’s Voice in America’s Revolution: The Legacy of Mercy Otis WarrenMercy Otis Warren was no ordinary figure in America’s founding story. How many women of her time had the opportunity to receive a classical education, let alone become influential political thinkers and writers? As one of the few, Warren used her intellect and talent to champion liberty during the American Revolution. But why is her name so often left out of the history books?In this episode of This Constitution, Matthew Brogdon sits down with Kirstin Birkhaug, assistant professor of political science at Hope College, to uncover the life and work of this revolutionary thinker. What ma...
2025-01-2734 min