In this special episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes Ken Starr, Independent Counsel for the Whitewater Controversy, former United States circuit judge, and the 39th solicitor general of the United States of America, for a conversation on religious liberty in the twenty-first century, the collapse of civic education across the country, and the prospects for reviving the ways American history and government are taught.

In this special holiday episode of The American Idea, we are privileged to share with you a very special Christmas story.

A story of hope and freedom, of overcoming tyranny and opression, of finding love for a country and its ideas. A story of a boy whose father gave him the gift of America.

Jeff welcomes Dr. Peter Myers, Professor of Political Science at University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire and the 2016-17 B. Kenneth Simon Fellow in American Political Thought at the Heritage Foundation, for a revealing conversation on the greatest American speech of the twentieth century: Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream.” Peter and Jeff will examine the history of the Civil Rights Movement preceding the historic March on Washington in August of 1963, King’s leadership during this vitally important time, and how King wove the greatest of American political and religious traditions to write the defining speech of the era. Listen to the full conversation to learn more about this legendary piece of political and religious rhetoric, its history, and whether or not we could have another speech like it today.

Jeff welcomes Dr. John Moser, Professor of History and the Chair of the Department of History and Political Science at Ashland University, to talk about the rise of Franklin Roosevelt and the origins of his radical presidency. John and Jeff will examine these topics through a fascinating and engaging conversation on Roosevelt’s 1932 campaign speech, the Commonwealth Club Address. Recently ranked the second greatest campaign speech in political history, the speech set the ideological groundwork for Roosevelt’s New Deal policies and the role of the federal government in twentieth century America. Listen to the full conversation to learn more about this essential (but understudied) speech in political history.

Building on our recent conversation with former Vice President Mike Pence, Jeff welcomes Stephen Knott, Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College, to The American Idea for a conversation on the evolution of the vice presidency. Stephen is a renowned presidential scholar, having recently participated in the C-SPAN Presidential Leadership survey and published a book on the lost soul of the presidency. A long-standing friend of Ashbrook, he is also the Thomas and Mabel Guy Professor in American History and Government at Ashland University. Jeff and Stephen talk about the origins and history of the vice presidency, how it’s evolved to a position of great power in the late twentieth century, and some of its most famous (and infamous) occupants.

On this very special episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes former Vice President Mike Pence to the Schramm Library. As many of our listeners know, Mr. Pence was the 48th Vice President of United States, serving alongside President Donald J. Trump from 2017 to 2021. Before that, he was a six-term congressman from the State of Indiana and Governor of the same state from 2013 to 2017. In their conversation, Mr. Pence and Jeff talk about the role of the vice president, his twenty years of experience in both Congress and the White House, and why teaching American history and civics is more important than ever before.

In this episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes Donald Drakeman, Distinguished Research Professor at the University of Notre Dame and the Founding Chairman of the Advisory Council of the James Madison Program in Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University for a conversation how we should interpret the Constitution. Donald is a renowned constitutional scholar, having been cited by the Supreme Courts of the United States and the Philippines. His books on the Constitution include Church, State, and Original Intent (Cambridge, 2009), a Choice Outstanding Academic Title, and his most recent book The Hollow Core of Constitutional Theory; Why We Need the Framers (Cambridge, 2021). Donald and Jeff talk about the dangers of the living constitution, the real role of judges in our democratic republic, and why interpreting the Constitution should matter to you!

Jeff welcomes back Dr. Jason Stevens, Professor of History and Political Science at Ashland University and the Director of Teacher Programs at the Ashbrook Center, to talk about the conflicting political ideologies at the heart of the Progressive Era, spanning three decades at the end of the nineteenth century and the dawn of the twentieth century. Particularly, their conversation with focus on two speeches that offer drastically different understandings of American government and its future: “The Authors and Signers of the Declaration” (1907) by Woodrow Wilson and “Speech on the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence” (1926) by President Calvin Coolidge.

Jeff welcomes Natalie Taylor, Associate Professor of Political Science at Skidmore College, to the show for a conversation on Susan B. Anthony’s “Is it a Crime for a U.S. Citizen to Vote?” Their conversation explores how to understand the Constitution’s relationship to the Declaration of Independence, the history of women’s suffrage during the nineteenth century, women’s rights (and lack thereof) during the Founding, and Anthony’s lasting legacy on road to the passing of the 19th Amendment.

Jeff welcomes Daniel Gullotta, Doctoral Candidate in Religious Studies at Stanford University and the host of The Age of Jackson podcast, to the show for a conversation on American prophets. Daniel is a scholar on religion in early American history and is a graduate of Yale University’s Divinity School, in the Master of Arts in Religion program. Their conversation will examine the life and times of three influential American religious leaders from the Early Republic: Joseph Smith, Robert Matthews, and Nat Turner.

Jeff welcomes back Dr. Lucas Morel, Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University and a Visiting Graduate Faculty Member in Ashland University’s Masters of American History and Government program, to talk about Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address. Lucas is a renowned scholar on American political thought and Abraham Lincoln, having recently published a new book called Lincoln and the American Founding. Their conversation will examine the crucial last twelve months of the American Civil War, Lincoln’s evolving sentiments on emancipation and reconstruction, and how Justice Clarence Thomas was right when he claimed that the speech is Lincoln’s Sermon on the Mount.

Building on our recent conversation with Fox News Contributor Mollie Hemingway, Jeff welcomes Joe Fornieri, Professor of Political Science at the Rochester Institute of Technology and the Director of the Center for Statesmanship, Law, and Liberty, to the show for a discussion on the history of free speech and journalism in America. Their conversation stretches from Colonial America and seditious libel all the way through to modern day, where academia and digital media are raising new questions about the role of free speech and the press in our experiment in self-government.

Jeff welcomes Fox News contributor and Senior Editor of The Federalist, Mollie Hemingway, for a conversation on media and political society. Their conversation covers what’s wrong with contemporary journalism, its relation to politics, and how thoughtful engagement with American Founding principles is good for journalism — and for the country.

In this episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes friend and colleague Dr. Jason Stevens, Professor of History and Political Science at Ashland University and the Director of Teacher Programs at the Ashbrook Center, to talk about the most famous speech in American history: Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Their conversation covers the importance of the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War, Lincoln’s devotion to our Founding principles, and a fascinating reading of the speech line-by-line (it’s only 272 words, after all!)

On this episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes Dr. Lucas Morel, Professor of Politics at Washington and Lee University and a Visiting Graduate Faculty Member in Ashland University’s Masters of American History and Government program, to talk about Frederick Douglass’s most well-known and controversial speech, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” A long-time friend of Ashbrook, Lucas is a renowned scholar on political philosophy and black American politics, having published five books and many articles. Their conversation will examine the life and political thought of Douglass, his escape from slavery in the Antebellum South, and how – as Lucas puts it – Douglass came to love “a country that did not love him back.”

Jeff welcomes Dr. Cara Rogers, Assistant Professor of History at Ashland University and published scholar of Thomas Jefferson, to talk about Jefferson’s important (but understudied) Letters to Roger Weightman and Henry Lee. Their conversation will examine the surprising legacy of the Declaration of Independence in the days of the Early Republic, Jefferson’s hopes for his country and what we would become as a nation – hope that is needed more than ever today.