In this week's Episode 8, we cover Thomas Jefferson's response to James Madison's letter from Episode 7. In Jefferson's December 20, 1787 letter, he discuss his likes and dislikes of the draft Constitution which was put forward to the states for ratification. In particular, Jefferson likes the separation of powers between the states and federal government, the balance of power between the large and small states, and the veto vested in the President. Jefferson's dislikes include the lack of an express Bill of Rights and the lack of a limit on Presidential terms. The letter discussed in this week's episode can be found at: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-10-02-0210. Also, if you would like to buy the book I am using for research it is "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" edited by Robert Allison and Bernard Bailyn.

Finally, we end with a quote from Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, 12.1 where the focus is on finding happiness or contentment in the current moment instead of making such fulfilment contingent on some future event. I believe that such an outlook will help everyone deal with both politics and life in a better manner. 

On this week's episode we discuss James Madison's letter to Thomas Jefferson dated October 24, 1787. In this letter, Madison is updating Jefferson (who is away representing the US in France) about the Constitutional Convention and draft Constitution. You can find a copy of the letter here: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/01-12-02-0274. Also, if you would like to buy the book I am using for research it is "The Essential Debate on the Constitution" edited by Robert Allison and Bernard Bailyn. 

Thank you and I hope you enjoy the podcast!

Welcome back to the sixth episode of the American Social Fabric Podcast! This week we discuss A Political Dialogue, a short publication from the Massachusetts Centinel published in 1787. You can find a copy here: https://archive.csac.history.wisc.edu/political_dialogue.pdf. After the quick discussion of this article, I share some thoughts about America's inability to plan and implement an effective foreign policy in our divided political climate. 

I hope you enjoy this episode and please share your thoughts in the Q&A comments!

Welcome back to the fifth episode of the American Social Fabric Podcast. This week we discuss the Federalists and Anti-Federalists before diving into Brutus I, an Anti-Federalist article published to oppose the ratification of the Constitution. In this episode we discuss the Anti-Federalist concern over excessive federal power and the continued creep of growing federal power. You can find the more information on the article at: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/brutus-i-2/. 

Thank you for your interest in the podcast and have a great week!

In this episode, we look a speech by the Founding Father James Wilson. The speech is known as both the "Speech at a Public Meeting" and the "Speech at a State House Yard", and in it, James Wilson addresses criticisms of the purposed Constitution. You can find a copy of the speech here: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/state-house-speech/. After addressing some of the interesting aspects of the document, we then discuss that it is okay to be proud of America's intellectual history and development, even while acknowledging the bad and human elements of our history. 

Yes the title of this episode is an attempted pun on James Wilsons' War. I figure anyone who would listen to this podcast would appreciate the attempt. 

In this episode we continue our discussion of Alexander Hamilton's Conjectures About the New Constitution letter. While this letter went unpublished, it is an interesting insight into the concerns of our Founding Fathers and early America. Last week we discussed how it is surprising that Alexander focused in on the most basic needs of financial and physical security as the most important factors on both sides of the Constitutional debate for and against the adoption of the Constitution. In this week's episode, we consider Alexander's views on the outcome of the Constitutional debate and the likely courses the early Nation could take if it failed to wholly ratify the Constitution. In the end we will find that, in many ways, we ended up with the best case scenario given the fickle nature of history. 

You can find the letter here:https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-04-02-0139.

I hope you enjoy this episode and thank you for your interest!

In this episode we discuss Alexander Hamilton's Conjectures About the New Constitution letter. While this letter went unpublished, it is an interesting insight into the concerns of our Founding Fathers and early America. What is most surprising is how Alexander focuses in on the most basic needs of financial and physical security as the most important factors on both sides of the Constitutional debate for and against the adoption of the Constitution. Ultimately, many of the factors we discuss in this podcast (written over 200 years ago) have direct parallels to hot button issues discussed in our media everyday. For instance the role of the government in facilitating business and trade, the protection of personal property, avoidance of debt and taxes. You can find the letter here:https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-04-02-0139.

I hope you enjoy this episode and thank you for your interest! 

Welcome to the first episode of the American Social Fabric Podcast! In this episode, I do a brief introduction of myself, my background and my motivations for creating the show. We then explore some excerpts from Benjamin Franklin's speech at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 where he argues in favor of the delegates' unanimous support for the Constitution. I hope you enjoy, and remember, you too can be wrong!