Every four years, a single word climbs the dictionary lookups: caucus. It is one of the most distinctly American words in the language, and nobody knows where it comes from. The mystery is the point, the habit of ordinary people gathering in a room to govern themselves is older than the record-keeping, older than the institutions it holds up.

Field Notes on the Republic was written and read by Michael Fowler. It was produced for Quorum (Supply Co.), an American civic purveyor. Music is "When Johnny Comes Marching Home," performed by the U.S. Military Academy Band, West Point.