Civics 101

By New Hampshire Public Radio

What's Civics 101 about?

Ever wonder what a White House Chief of Staff actually does? How about a Press Secretary? And is gerrymandering still a thing in this country? The first 100 days of the Trump administration is the perfect time to bone up on civics you should have learned in school…but probably didn’t. Civics 101 is your guide to what you need to know, when it matters most.

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John Marshall and the Supre...

08.24.2021

John Marshall was the longest-serving Chief Justice in Supreme Court history. In today’s episode, we learn all about the man as well as the decisions that shaped the highest court in the land; from Marbury v Madison to McCullough v ...

Civics 101 episodes:

08.24.2021 John Marshall and the Supreme Court John Marshall was the longest-serving Chief Justice in Supreme Court history. In today’s episode, we learn all about the man as well as the decisions that shaped the highest court in the land; from Marbury v Madison to McCullough v ...
08.17.2021 Civics Shorts: Founding Mothers 1 - The Wives The most well known icons of our nation’s history, the founding fathers, developed our Declaration of Independence, led us into the war for independence, and wrote the laws of our government. However, while the majority of people, including women, were ...
08.10.2021 Civil Rights: Obergefell v Hodges It’s the most recent landmark case in our Civil Rights SCOTUS series, the decision that said the fundamental right to marry is protected under the 14th Amendment. How did it come about? What was the status of marriage before June ...
07.30.2021 Civics Shorts: Washington, D.C. Our federal capital, Washington, D.C., is a unique part of the United States. Washington, D.C. was established by the Constitution, and its exact location selected by President George Washington in 1790. Its status as a district rather than a state ...
07.27.2021 Civil Rights: Loving v Virginia Mildred and Richard Loving were jailed and banished for marrying in 1958. Nearly a decade later, their Supreme Court case changed the meaning of marriage equality in the United States — decriminalizing their own marriage while they were at it. ...
07.15.2021 Civics Shorts: The Filibuster To truly understand the U.S. Senate, it’s important to acquaint yourself with the filibuster. With strong supporters and fierce opponents, the filibuster seems to always be the subject of intense political debate. Its name evokes memories of senators giving speeches ...
07.13.2021 Civil Rights: Brown v Board of Education of Topeka Five cases, eleven advocates, and a quarter century of work; Brown v Board of Education of Topeka addressed this question: does racial segregation in schools violate the 14th amendment? Walking us through the long journey to overturn Plessy v Ferguson ...
07.01.2021 Civics Shorts: The Vice President Is it “the most insignificant office” or is there more to it than that? The vice president is the second-highest ranking officer in American government, the next in line to the presidency, often a close presidential advisor, and almost always ...
06.29.2021 Japanese American Internment Japanese American internment, or incarceration, spanned four years. Over 120,000 Japanese Americans and nationals, half of them children, were made to leave their homes, schools, businesses and farms behind to live behind barbed wire and under armed guard. There was ...
06.24.2021 Civics Shorts: The First Lady As long as the United States has had a president, it’s also had a first lady - typically the wife of the current president. While being first lady isn’t an elected position, she still has duties and responsibilities...which we explore ...
06.15.2021 Civil Rights: Korematsu v United States In 1942, approximately 120,000 Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans were ordered to leave their homes. They were sent to internment camps in desolate regions of the American West. Fred Korematsu refused to comply. This is the story of his appeal ...
06.01.2021 Civil Rights: Plessy v Ferguson Today in our series on civil rights Supreme Court cases, we examine the anticanon decision of Plessy v Ferguson. Steven Luxenberg, Kenneth Mack, Keith Plessy and Phoebe Ferguson walk us through the story of Homer Plessy, the Separate Car Act ...
05.18.2021 Civil Rights: Dred Scott v Sandford In 1846, Dred and Harriet Scott were living in St. Louis, Missouri with their two daughters. They were enslaved and launched a not uncommon petition: a lawsuit for their freedom. Eleven years later Chief Justice Roger B. Taney would issue ...
05.04.2021 There Ought to Be a Law: Student Contest Finalists This year we asked students to submit a 1-2 minute audio or video clip telling us what there ought to be a law about, why this is a problem in their community, and how that law would fix that problem. ...
04.27.2021 Civics Shorts: The Bill of Rights The Bill of Rights is the first ten amendments to our Constitution. But while we think of them as fundamental… we almost didn’t have them. So why do we have one? And why did it matter so much? On today’s ...
04.20.2021 The Chinese Exclusion Act Between 1882 and 1965, a huge percentage of would-be Chinese immigrants were excluded from the United States. This is the story of how the U.S. came to exclude Chinese workers from immigration and Chinese immigrants from citizenship, the multi-generational reverberations ...
04.06.2021 Right to Privacy: Roe v Wade Mention of Roe versus Wade can silence conversation or incite heated debate. Candidates campaign on protecting it and getting it overturned. Your opinion of the case can define your politics. Ever since its ruling in 1973, we have told a ...
03.23.2021 Right to Privacy: New Jersey v T.L.O. Today we travel to the spring of 1980, where the Carter-Reagan campaigns take a back seat to an act of disobedience committed by a 14-year-old girl in Piscataway, New Jersey. The highest court in the land has to decide, how ...
03.12.2021 Civics Shorts: The Constitution After just six years under the Articles of Confederation, a committee of anxious delegates agreed to meet in Philadelphia to amend the government. The country was in an economic and political crisis. So fifty-five men gathered to determine the shape ...
03.09.2021 Right to Privacy: Griswold v Connecticut Despite the fact that they were written in the late 19th century, morality laws were still on the books in the United States in 1965. In Connecticut, one such law prohibited the discussion, prescription and distribution of contraception. After years ...
03.01.2021 Civics Shorts: The Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence laid out the reasons the United States wanted to separate from Great Britain… and the ideals on which a new nation was founded. What led to the break up? What did the document say? And who ...
02.23.2021 Right to Privacy: Mapp v Ohio In 1957, three police officers showed up at the home of Dollree Mapp and demanded to be let in. They had no warrant. Ms. Mapp refused. This landmark case about privacy and unlawful search and seizure defines our protections under ...
02.09.2021 Electoral College Addendum Today we’re revisiting one of the most requested and controversial topics from Civics 101; the electoral college. High School social studies teacher Neal Walter Young talks about some of the points he debates with his class when they dissect how ...
01.26.2021 How a Bill (Really) Becomes a Law Today AP Gov teacher David Olson shares his favorite episode, How a Bill (really) Becomes a Law. Here is a link to his paired lesson plan, three pages that will get anyone, student or not, up to speed. We at ...
01.22.2021 Insurrection, Protest, Terrorism, Sedition, Coup When it comes to discussing the events at the Capitol building on January 6, teachers have risen to the challenge. Meredith Baker, who teaches social studies in Virginia, suggested the first step should be defining five very charged terms. And ...
01.20.2021 Inauguration Day The Constitution makes it clear that the four-year presidential term begins and ends at noon on January 20th. The time, date and the words of the presidential oath are committed to ink in the law of the land, but the ...
01.20.2021 Who are the United States Capitol Police? With the January 6th insurrection at the Capitol Building, the United States Capitol Police (USCP) have been thrust into the spotlight. That leaves some people wondering who the United States Capitol Police actually are. How is this agency different from ...
01.18.2021 What is moving day like at the White House? When a new first family sets foot inside of the White House on Inauguration Day they are walking into their new home for the next, usually, four to eight years. That means their furniture in the living, their pictures on ...
01.15.2021 What are democratic norms? Not every guiding principle in the United States is a law. Many are traditions, customs and best practices that someone came up with at one point and we all stuck to. These democratic norms are in place to facilitate a ...
01.14.2021 Has the U.S. Capitol been ambushed before? The U.S. has a long history of politically motivated violence. And the U.S. Capitol building, as a symbol of the nation, a very public building, and a working office for thousands of people, can also be a target, as we ...
01.13.2021 What happens when one party controls Congress and the presidency? Once President-elect Joe Biden is sworn in on January 20th, the Democratic Party will be in control of the presidency and both chambers of Congress. What does that mean for legislation? Dan Cassino of Farleigh Dickinson University breaks down the ...
01.12.2021 Impeachment The House has (again) drafted articles of impeachment against Donald Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. What does that mean? How does the process play out? This episode was recorded in October 2019, before President Trump was impeached on October ...
01.11.2021 The Peaceful Transition of Power It has long been a proud claim of American democracy — that we are committed to a peaceful transition of power from one president to the next. That after all is said and done, the results tallied, the legal challenges ...
01.08.2021 The 25th Amendment Members of Congress from both parties have requested that the Vice President invoke the 25th Amendment to remove President Trump from office. Today we explore all four parts of this relatively new amendment with constitutional scholar and author of The ...
01.06.2021 Why does the vote certification take so long? Even in an election year where it took weeks to count and recount the public’s votes, the United States seems to play a particularly long waiting game when it comes to finally certifying that vote in Congress. Who sets our ...
01.04.2021 What role does Congress play in the Electoral College? The Constitution requires Congress to meet and count the electoral votes on January 6th. It’s the final step in an election process for president that began in early November with citizens casting ballots, continued with election officials counting (and in ...
12.28.2020 How does a contested convention work? These days nominating conventions are about party morale -- celebrating and formally anointing the chosen candidate. There hasn’t been a contested convention — a convention when there is no clear winner on the ballot — since 1952. What actually happens ...
12.21.2020 Holidays at the White House Who had the first Christmas tree in the White House? Who had the first menorah? And when did we start the tradition of FLOTUS choosing a Christmas theme? All that and more in this short episode on celebrating the season ...
12.18.2020 What is voter fraud? Claims of voter fraud are widespread, but is voter fraud itself widespread? What is voter fraud, how often does it happen, and how do claims of voter fraud affect an election? Professor Justin Levitt talks us through this murky subject.
12.16.2020 How are seats filled when a member of Congress takes another job? Today we answer a question from a listener: what happens if a member of Congress becomes president or VP? The process varies from state to state as well as in the different chambers of Congress, but Williams College professor of ...
12.15.2020 The Articles of Confederation While a famous committee of five drafted the Declaration of Independence, a far more unsung committee of thirteen wrote America's first rulebook. The Articles of Confederation was our first constitution, and it lasted nine years. If you prefer Typee to ...
12.14.2020 How do presidential pardons work? Pardons are one of the powers given the President in the Constitution but not ever crime can be pardoned. What kind of crimes can be pardoned? And how do pardons end up on the President’s desk? Andrew Rudalevige, professor of ...
12.11.2020 How does the Electoral College vote? The popular vote has been cast, the electors have been chosen, but the Electoral College still needs to meet and cast their ballots. What does that actually look like? Where and when does it happen? Jessie Kratz, historian of the ...
12.09.2020 Who are electors? Today on Ask Civics 101 we look into the electors, the people who will vote for our president on December 14th. Who can be one? How are they chosen? And what is it like to really vote for the president ...
12.07.2020 What do the National Archives have to do with the Electoral College? The United States election system is notoriously decentralized, but when it comes to finally certifying our vote for President, things have to go federal. So how do 51 far flung pieces come together to be certified in the Senate on ...
12.04.2020 What does the Solicitor General do? The Solicitor General represents the United States in cases that make it to the Supreme Court, and they’re also highly influential with the court itself. So what does it mean to be the lawyer for the U.S. and a near-honorary ...
12.02.2020 What do politicians do after they leave office? On January 3rd, the new Congress starts its session. But what about those who lost their seats? Where do they go? What do they do? Dan Cassino, Professor of Political Science at Farleigh Dickinson University, lays out the options. Support ...
12.01.2020 Life Stages: School As Adam Laats said, "when it comes to schools, the most important thing is who you are, and where you live." In today's rebroadcast, introduced by Jason Stern, we explore how K-12 education has developed in the US since the ...
11.30.2020 What's going on in the Georgia Senate races? All eyes are on Georgia as it nears a runoff election for two Senate seats — seats that have the potential to split the Senate right down the middle between Democrats and Republicans. How did this happen? And what could ...
11.25.2020 What happens to campaign funds after the election is over? It doesn’t always happen (and probably shouldn’t) but occasionally there are funds leftover at the end of the long campaign road. Of course, that money was supposed to help that candidate win — and nothing else. There are some restrictions ...

Older episodes

Civics 101

What's Civics 101 about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Civics 101 episodes:

John Marshall and the Supreme Court

Civics Shorts: Founding Mothers 1 - The Wives

Civil Rights: Obergefell v Hodges

Civics Shorts: Washington, D.C.

Civil Rights: Loving v Virginia

Civics Shorts: The Filibuster

Civil Rights: Brown v Board of Education of Topeka

Civics Shorts: The Vice President

Japanese American Internment

Civics Shorts: The First Lady

Civil Rights: Korematsu v United States

Civil Rights: Plessy v Ferguson

Civil Rights: Dred Scott v Sandford

There Ought to Be a Law: Student Contest Finalists

Civics Shorts: The Bill of Rights

The Chinese Exclusion Act

Right to Privacy: Roe v Wade

Right to Privacy: New Jersey v T.L.O.

Civics Shorts: The Constitution

Right to Privacy: Griswold v Connecticut

Civics Shorts: The Declaration of Independence

Right to Privacy: Mapp v Ohio

Electoral College Addendum

How a Bill (Really) Becomes a Law

Insurrection, Protest, Terrorism, Sedition, Coup

Inauguration Day

Who are the United States Capitol Police?

What is moving day like at the White House?

What are democratic norms?

Has the U.S. Capitol been ambushed before?

What happens when one party controls Congress and the presidency?

Impeachment

The Peaceful Transition of Power

The 25th Amendment

Why does the vote certification take so long?

What role does Congress play in the Electoral College?

How does a contested convention work?

Holidays at the White House

What is voter fraud?

How are seats filled when a member of Congress takes another job?

The Articles of Confederation

How do presidential pardons work?

How does the Electoral College vote?

Who are electors?

What do the National Archives have to do with the Electoral College?

What does the Solicitor General do?

What do politicians do after they leave office?

Life Stages: School

What's going on in the Georgia Senate races?

What happens to campaign funds after the election is over?

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