The American Idea

By Ashbrook CenterEducation History

The American Idea episodes

March 06, 2024 Clear and Present Danger: The Use and Abuse of Presidential War Powers
Jeff Sikkenga and Dr. Sarah Burns discuss the long, complicated history of how presidential war powers have been understood, implemented, and expanded, and how these changes have impacted American government and America's place in the world.
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
47 min
February 28, 2024 Civilian-Military Relations from the Founding to Today
Jeff discusses the unique history of American civilian-military relations with Miles Smith IV of Hillsdale College in today's episode.Suspicious of standing armies, but cognizant of the need for military power, the Founders were emphatic about civilian supremacy over the military - especially senior officers. From George Washington's handling of the Newburgh Conspiracy to Lincoln's relations with his generals, to the Cold War and Ike's concerns about the "military-industrial complex," we trace the evolution of ideas and norms in government and our culture from the Founding to today in this fascinating and thought-provoking episode.
Subscribe to The American Idea podcast: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
Visit the show's homepage: https://ashbrook.org/viewpoints/
Read Miles' article on Law & Liberty: https://lawliberty.org/the-lesson-of-newburgh/
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
42 min
February 21, 2024 Not Getting What We're Paying For: U.S. Healthcare Policy
Jeff discusses the evolution of the U.S. healthcare system since the late 19th Century with Dr. Lauren Hall of the Rochester Institute of Technology. At issue are the surprising, and disheartening, unintended consequences of changes in technology and policy that have yielded the high-cost, low-efficiency and in some ways even lower-effectiveness "system" Americans face today.
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
40 min
February 14, 2024 U.S. Energy Policy - The Pursuit of Failure
Jeff discusses the history and sad state of U.S. national energy policy with Peter Grossman, Emeritus Professor of Economics.
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
31 min
February 07, 2024 The Chevron Doctrine: What is it and How Does it Challenge Our Constitutional System?
Jeff Sikkenga discusses the “Chevron Doctrine” with Mark Chenoweth, Director of the New Civil Liberties Alliance, and how this 1984 Supreme Court decision has led to a runaway federal regulatory regime. They discuss the history of the decision and current challenges to it - including NCLA’s appearance before the Supreme Court to challenge Chevron in January 2024 - as well as its implications for our constitutional system of government.
Host: Dr. Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
Philip Hamburger’s “Chevron Bias” article: https://www.gwlr.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/84-Geo.-Wash.-L.-Rev.-1187.pdf
Podcast Subscription: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
40 min
January 31, 2024 Political Parties - Not Part of the Plan But There From the Beginning | Documents & Debates
Jeff is joined by Dr. Eric Sands of Berry College to discuss the origins, role, evolution, and impact of political parties in America. This is one of those episodes wherein you learn some history, and your understanding of our current situation becomes more clear.
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
Subscribe through your favorite platform: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
39 min
January 24, 2024 The Hostage Crisis and America's Troubles with Iran | Documents & Debates
John Moser and Greg Schneider discuss the background to the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979-1981, and America's broader, longer-term problems with Iran.
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
36 min
January 17, 2024 Jefferson, Race, and Slavery: A New Perspective
Jeff discusses the complicated ideas and legacy of Thomas Jefferson as they pertain to race and slavery, with Dr. Cara Rogers Stevens, author of a new book on the subject.
Far more complex than presented in textbooks and conventional histories, Jefferson condemned slavery in some of the harshest language of his times, owned slaves, perhaps fathered children with them, and had a sensibility of race relations that evolved and changed significantly throughout his personal and public life.
Relying on primary source documents - public and private - Rogers Stevens uncovers a Jefferson overlooked by most histories, or lost in contemporary political debates.
Read Cara's book, "Thomas Jefferson and the Fight against Slavery" available on Amazon.
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
Subscribe through your platform of choice: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
44 min
January 10, 2024 Parental Rights in Education | Contemporary Conversations
Jeff is joined by Dr. Joseph Griffith, Professor of Political Science, to discuss the history, norms, laws, and current and possible future state of parental rights in education in America.
Host: Jeff Sikkenga
Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer
Producer: Jeremy Gypton
Subscribe via YouTube or another platform: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
37 min
January 03, 2024 Core American Ideas: The Electoral College
Jeff discusses the Electoral College - its origins, the rationale behind it, and controversies surrounding it over the years, with Michael Maibach, a noted authority on the topic. They dig deeply into the origins of the system, as created at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, debunk contemporary claims of its connection to slavery, and analyze the current "National Popular Vote" movement, which seeks an end-run around the Constitution to subvert the republican system created at the Founding. If you want to understand the Electoral College and the major arguments for and against it in order to make up your own mind about the system, take the time to listen to this episode.You can learn more about Save Our States at https://saveourstates.com/ and about the National Popular Vote movement at https://www.nationalpopularvote.com/ Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Greg McBrayerProducer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe through your favorite platform: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
46 min

About The American Idea

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The American Idea explores America's history and principles and what they mean today. The podcast is a production of the Ashbrook Center and hosted by Dr. Jeff Sikkenga.