In this special episode, Jeff sits down with Dr. Joshua Dunn to discuss the overturning of Roe v. Wade and blockbuster decisions about religious liberty, free speech, and the 2nd Amendment.

You can download a free PDF copy of Josh's Core Documents Collection on the Judiciary.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Jeff talks with Dr. Lucas Morel about Ralph Ellison, his novel Juneteenth, the role of literature in sociopolitical discourse and thought, and their connection to American history and politics.

Mentioned in this episode are Lucas' book, Ralph Ellison and the Raft of Hope: A Political Companion to Invisible Man, Ellison's Juneteenth, and Ellison's essay, What America Would Be Like Without Blacks (1970).

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Jeremy Gypton

In this episode Jeff discusses two fascinating heroes of the American Civil War with Dr. Jason Stevens of Ashland University, and Pat Maloney of the Ashbrook Center.

Learn more about Ashbrook's programs for students, teachers, and citizens at Ashbrook.org.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Jeremy Gypton

In this episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes back Dr. Jason Stevens, Professor of Political Science at Ashland University and the Co-Director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program, to talk about the Great Triumvirate; the greatest American statesmen of the early nineteenth century. Over the course of nearly forty years, Henry Clay of Kentucky, Daniel Webster of Massachusetts, and John C. Calhoun of South Carolina shaped the destiny of the republic and saved it several times from falling into disunion. Jeff and Jason's conversation explores these men, their fame and notoriety during their own times, and their lasting influence on future statesmen like Abraham Lincoln and on the country.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Tyler MacQueen

In this episode of The American Idea, Jeff is joined by David Davenport, Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and Senior Fellow at Ashbrook, for a conversation exploring the crisis in civic education and what we can do about it. The former president of Pepperdine University from 1985-2000, David is a regular columnist for the Washington Examiner and his study, "Commonsense Solutions To Our Civics Crisis," was published by the Orrin G. Hatch Foundation in 2020. He earned a BA with distinction in international relations from Stanford University and a JD from the University of Kansas’s School of Law, where he was elected to Order of the Coif and earned national and international awards in moot court competitions.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Tyler MacQueen

In this episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes back Dr. Greg McBrayer, Associate Professor of Political Science at Ashland University and Ashbrook's Director of Citizen Programs, for a conversation on Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 Letter from a Birmingham Jail.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Tyler MacQueen

In this episode of The American Idea, Jeff welcomes back Dr. Chris Burkett, Associate Professor of Political Science at Ashland University and Director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program, for a conversation on Benjamin Franklin's famous Autobiography, his dramatic rise from the ninth of twelve children in an impoverished household to the most famous American of his time, and why he is - rightly - remembered as "The First American."

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Tyler MacQueen

In the second episode of The American Idea's Presidential Portraits series, we explore the life and controversial presidency of George W. Bush, the two-term Texas Governor who became the unexpected wartime president with the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001. For this conversation, Jeff is joined by Stephen Knott, Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College and the Thomas and Mabel Guy Professor in American History and Government at Ashland University. 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. He is the author of Rush to Judgment: George W. Bush, The War on Terror, and His Critics from the University of Kansas Press.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Tyler MacQueen

In this episode of The American Idea, Jeff is joined by Cara Rogers, Professor of History at Ashland University and Co-Director of the Ashbrook Scholar Program, for a conversation on Thomas Jefferson and his controversial book, Notes on the State of Virginia. Jeff and Cara discuss Jefferson's long history of anti-slavery sentiments and emancipation proposals, and his disturbing comments regarding the physiological differences between White Americans and Black Americans, and the historical paradox that these two seemingly separate concepts create.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Tyler MacQueen

In the first episode of The American Idea's Presidential Portraits series, we explore the life and times of George Washington: "First in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." For this conversation, Jeff is joined by Marc Landy, Professor of Political Science at Boston College and visiting faculty in Ashbrook's Master of Arts in American History and Government program at Ashland University. Marc has a B.A. from Oberlin College and a Ph.D. in Government from Harvard University. He was the recipient of the 2009 Teaching Award chosen by the student members of the Boston College Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. He is the Faculty Chair of the Boston College Irish Institute.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Greg McBrayer

Producer: Tyler MacQueen