Americans have faced, unfortunately, a number of movements and moments in our history where free speech – especially of a political nature – has been challenged and even quashed. Power-wielding opponents of free expression and debate have often sought to prevent debates and discussions from happening, in order to protect their interests. In this week’s episode we explore a lesser-known example of this, in how slaveholders before the Civil War deliberately worked to deny free speech to both whites and African-Americans, enslaved and free.

Dr. Cara Rogers Stevens, our host this week, is joined by Dr. Jonathan W. White to discuss his recent article on the topic. You can reach Jonathan and find his books at the links below.

Paul Nitze served under eight different U.S. presidents, from during World War 2 through the end of the Cold War, and it was his thinking, laid down in NSC-68, that provided some of the most foundational ideas for how America dealt with the Soviet Union, eventually bringing about its collapse.

This week Jeff welcomes State Department historian and author James Graham Wilson to discuss Nitze, and his book about the man.

Technology, especially social media and the near ubiquity of mobile devices, has changed our world, our personal lives, and interpersonal relations. A great many people are waking up to the mountain of evidence suggesting that this change has not been all, or even mostly, for the better.

American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow and author Christine Rosen joins Jeff this week to discuss the impact of technology and our supposedly “connected” world this week. If you’re concerned about human relations between individuals and at the social level – and our political discourse – don’t miss this thoughtful discussion.

What is America’s place in the world, and how have Americans understood where we as a country ought to be when it comes to world affairs and in relations with other countries? Should we be an “empire of liberty,” as Jefferson called the country? Should we avoid “entangling alliances” as Washington warned? Should we eagerly send our troops, promises, and money overseas, as has been the standard since World War 2? How do interest and morality, if there is such a thing in international affairs, play a role in the actions and norms of a republic?

Cara Rogers Stevens discusses the history of American expansion and empire in this episode with Dan Monroe, Professor of History at Millikin University. Together they chart the evolution of our view of our place in the world from the Founding to current times.

Tariffs, seemingly a relic of the 18th and 19th centuries, are back on the front page as tools of policy, with wide-reaching impacts on America’s economy and Americans as individuals. What’s the history behind tariffs as tools of policy, and how have American leaders understood and used them differently over time?

Political Economist Rob Wyllie joins Jeff for this timely explanation of the background and history of tariffs, as well as a healthy dose of analysis and even some forecasts related to what’s going on now in the Trump administration and what it might mean for you and America now and in the near future.

8 May 1945: Victory in Europe Day, the day after the armistice between the Allied powers and Nazi Germany goes into effect. Almost 5 years long, World War 2 in Europe destroyed millions of lives, burned ancient cities to cinders, displaced populations, and permanently changed the world order.

How, then, did it come to an end? How did the Allies defeat the Nazis, and why did the war end when it did? What issues led the world from war to Cold War in only a few years, turning supposed allies against one another?

What is ‘grand strategy’ and how does it differ from strategy? What does grand strategy mean to a nation, its leaders and people? How is such a thing developed and revised over time? And why is it so difficult for America to create and settle on such a thing?

Business and military strategy authority Dr. John Hillen discusses these topics with Jeff today, digging into what challenges America faces in the world, and the challenges we face at home as we work to determine our own national grand strategy.

Why have NBA ratings dropped by half over the last decade? How has the game changed in recent years and what does the proliferation of legalized sports betting have to do with it? Jeff takes a break this week from questions of history and politics and looks at a slice of our public life with author and journalist Oliver Lee Bateman and addresses these weighty issues.

Or is there more to it? Is the creep of the HR department mindset to standardize, systematize, and optimize everything having an impact on one of our beloved sports?

On 19 April 1775, the American War for Independence began at the battles of Lexington and Concord. Take a step back in time this week to learn some of the forgotten stories of important and interesting individuals who were part of America’s revolution, of which the war, according to John Adams, was only a part.

Download a free copy of the American Revolution documents reader: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/product/american-revolution/

The 2024 elections left the Democrats in crisis, soul-searching over why they not only lost the White House, but also multiple down-ballot races, as well. Are we entering an era of party realignment? How is the leadership of the DNC grappling with these losses, and what do they see as the reasons behind them? What has their public response been, so far, to Trump’s return to the White House? And what might all this mean for upcoming elections?

Jeff is joined this week by author and columnist JT Young to discuss this important development in American politics.

What can we learn from those who came before us? What life lessons can be gleaned from the ideas and actions of noteworthy Americans? Dr. Cara Roger Stevens discusses the lives of 10 extraordinary Americans, whose lives offer us wisdom and guidance, with teacher and author Jeremy Adams.

You can find Adams’ book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/2GeECFi

What is statesmanship? What does it take to be a statesman? Is it possible to be such a leader during easy times, or only during the toughest moments in history?

Jeff sits down with Dr. Greg McBrayer to discuss Ronald Reagan’s political philosophy and how he applied in understanding and dealing with the Soviet Union – and why Reagan earned the title of ‘statesman.’

Lindsay Chervinsky, Director of the George Washington Presidential Library, joins Cara Rogers Stevens this week to discuss Abigail Adams and her impact on John’s public life.

Learn more about Lindsay: https://www.lindsaychervinsky.com/

Daylight Savings Time: nobody seems to enjoy switching their clocks twice a year, and recently there has been another push to eliminate it altogether. But as a policy issue it’s far more complicated than it might seem at first glance. Dr. Cara Rogers Stevens is joined by columnist Rachel Lu, Associate Editor at Law & Liberty, to discuss the many layers of what seems like a simple question.

Read her article here: https://lawliberty.org/sleep-training-the-american-people/

Days before the inauguration of our next president, we ask you to take a moment to look back at an inaugural address that was also given in a time of high political division and partisanship, in fact eclipsing our own. What can we learn from Abraham Lincoln, and from the words of his Second Inaugural Address?

Jeff is joined by Dr. Jason Stevens to discuss this essential American document, exploring its meaning in 1865, as well as what we can learn from it now, almost 160 years later.

How and why did the short-lived Republic of Texas seek admission into the United States and become the 28th state? Historical Jordan Cash joins Jeff for this episode, wherein they discuss how the state of Texas came about, why it factored so prominently in 19th Century American history, and why it still matters today.

#texas #texashistory #alamo #annexation #samhouston #johntyler #american history

Rev. John Rankin is, arguably, America’s founding abolitionist, and yet he is virtually forgotten today. A conductor on the Underground Railroad, a writer and preacher, he laid the intellectual, moral, and organizational foundations of what would become the mainstream abolition movement in the mid-19th Century.

Jeff is joined today by author Caleb Franz to cast some needed light on Rankin – his work, his ideas, and his accomplishments.

What foreign policy challenges does the Trump Administration face as of February 2025? Where are the potential flashpoints of global conflict and strife? What ‘bad actors’ are out there, and are they working together?

Defense Policy expert Rebeccah Heinrichs discusses these serious issues with Jeff, and offers some ideas for how America can defend itself and work to promote and protect our national interest and citizens.

The presidential pardon is the most sweeping and unchallengeable of a president’s powers, and it seems that each time someone leaves the White House, pardons generate at least some level of controversy. Why did the Founders include this power? How was its use originally envisioned, and how has it evolved over time? Historian Jonathan White joins Cara Rogers Stevens to discuss the issue, using Abraham Lincoln as a vehicle to better understand this significant, yet poorly-understood presidential power.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Jimmy Carter, a one-term Democrat president from Georgia, recently passed away after a long and impactful and sometimes controversial post-presidential life. From governor of Georgia to president to self-appointed ambassador and highly successful proponent of global relief efforts, Carter broke with many presidential traditions, for better and worse, to his advantage and not.

Jeff is joined by noted presidential scholar Dr. Stephen Knott, formerly of the U.S. Naval War College, to discuss Carter’s rise to prominence in Democratic circles, his unlikely victory in 1976, his tumultuous single term as president, and his long – sometimes contentious – post-presidential public life.