The American Revolution was fought on battlefields, but victory depended on winning another fight overseas: the battle for international support. As the colonies challenged the British Empire, American diplomats had to convince foreign powers that the new nation deserved recognition, financial assistance, and a place among the nations of the world.

In this episode, Matthew Brogdon and Savannah Eccles Johnston examine the diplomatic efforts that helped secure American independence. They explore the early mission of Silas Deane, Benjamin Franklin’s remarkable success in France, John Adams’ efforts to gain support from the Netherlands, and John Jay’s crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Paris. Along the way, they examine how these diplomats navigated competing European interests and built alliances that changed the course of the Revolution.

The hosts also explore why the founders viewed diplomacy as essential to America’s survival and why international reputation mattered so much to the new republic. While American soldiers won victories on the battlefield, Franklin, Adams, and Jay helped secure the recognition and independence that allowed the United States to become a lasting nation.

In This Episode

• [00:00] Introduction: How diplomacy won the Revolution
• [03:12] Why France joined America’s fight against Britain
• [04:41] The forgotten diplomat who helped the Revolution succeed
• [07:09] Benjamin Franklin’s mission to win over France
• [10:59] How Franklin turned charm into a diplomatic weapon
• [12:31] Why great diplomats rarely receive recognition
• [14:00] John Adams arrives in France
• [16:09] How Adams secured Dutch support for America
• [17:34] Why international reputation mattered to the founders
• [20:24] Why America connected more with the Dutch than the French
• [22:16] John Jay’s difficult mission in Spain
• [24:27] The secret negotiations that changed America’s future
• [26:58] How the Treaty of Paris secured American independence
• [28:51] Why diplomats deserve more credit for creating America
• [30:49] The founders’ warning about European power
• [31:42] The lasting lesson of America’s revolutionary diplomacy

Notable Quotes

• (04:19) “Really you can summarize it as: it’s hard to say no to Benjamin Franklin.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (29:14) “American soldiers won the revolution, yes, but it’s our diplomats who win our independence and the recognition of our independence.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (08:57) “Franklin is the American as far as people in Europe are concerned.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (17:34) “The founding generation really sees there being a lot of good fruit to be had from having a good reputation in the community of nations.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (31:17) “They have a sense that it’s not just Great Britain; it’s all of Europe that really poses a threat to peace.” — Matthew Brogdon

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

Matthew Brogdon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brogdon-8a21bb89/
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/matthew_brogdon.html

Congress went to war in 1775 against the most powerful empire in the world, but could a legislative body actually run a war? With no executive departments, no Pentagon, and little experience managing a national military, the Second Continental Congress had to figure out how to transform colonial militias into a Continental Army, appoint a commander in chief, supply the troops, and direct a war that stretched across thousands of miles.

In this episode, Matthew Brogdon and Savannah Eccles Johnston examine Congress's extraordinary experiment in wartime government. They trace the creation of the Continental Army and George Washington's appointment as commander-in-chief, explore why Congress chose Washington over other experienced military officers, and examine the committee system Congress created to manage everything from military supplies to naval affairs. They also look at the disastrous invasion of Canada, where strategic theories collided with the realities of distance, supply, weather, and an inexperienced army.

The hosts then explore Congress's struggles with military appointments, political maneuvering, and the Conway Cabal, while examining Washington's careful relationship with civilian authority. Finally, they show how the Revolutionary War experience influenced the Constitution's division of war powers between Congress and the president, including the crucial distinction between Congress's power to declare war and the president's responsibility as commander-in-chief. Tune in to discover why the Revolutionary experience convinced the framers that Congress could create the conditions for war, but should not be the institution directing military operations.

In This Episode

• [00:00] Introduction: Can Congress run a war?
• [01:04] Forming the Continental Army
• [02:14] Why pick Washington?
• [04:17] Supervising the war by committee
• [05:47] The failed Canadian expedition
• [12:56] Congressional officer appointments
• [13:33] The Conway Cabal
• [16:03] Washington's independent actions
• [19:41] A new balance of power
• [21:05] Constitutional solutions: Make vs. declare war
• [24:26] The president as commander in chief
• [27:28] Conclusion: Can Congress run a war? 

Notable Quotes

• (09:15) "Canada offers big threats, potentially a big reward, and it's Congress actually that creates this two-pronged offensive strategy." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (11:19) "You get this theoretical debate: would it be a good thing if we went and did this? Well, that's kind of beside the point if you don't actually have the capability to do it." — Matthew Brogdon
• (12:20) "Congress is bad at directing military operations... that's what we're taking from this." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (17:31) "We really do owe him a debt for taking seriously the idea that the military is in subjection to the civil authority." — Matthew Brogdon
• (22:38) "Can Congress run a war? And it seems that the answer is yes, if they'll take their hands off the steering wheel when it comes to military strategy." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (25:45) "The Constitution, in describing the president's role, uses a military term, but it's applied to a person who holds elected office." — Matthew Brogdon
• (27:35) "Can Congress run a war? No. But Congress can create the conditions for war. That's what they can do." — Savannah Eccles Johnston

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

Matthew Brogdon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brogdon-8a21bb89/
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/matthew_brogdon.html

The American Revolution wasn't fought only on battlefields. It unfolded in homes, farms, towns, and military camps, where women faced shortages, violence, displacement, and the enormous responsibility of keeping families and communities alive.

In this episode, Savannah Eccles Johnston speaks with historian Carol Berkin, Presidential Professor of History (Emerita) at Baruch College, and author of Revolutionary Mothers, about the essential and often-overlooked role women played in the Revolution. They explore how women became central to colonial boycotts, managed farms while men were away, worked alongside the Continental Army, carried military intelligence, and sometimes disguised themselves as men to enlist.

Carol also explains how the Revolution changed women's civic identity. Their wartime contributions challenged long-standing assumptions about women's intellectual and moral abilities and helped expand educational opportunities after independence.

Tune in to discover why the Revolution cannot be fully understood without women and how adding their experiences transforms the story from a series of military campaigns into a complex home-front war involving an entire society.

In This Episode

• (00:00) Intro
• (00:16) Introduction to Carol Berkin
• (00:59) The myth of women as passive observers
• (03:13) How the Revolution politicized women
• (07:21) Why were women essential to colonial boycotts
• (10:27) Women as spies, couriers, and participants
• (11:05) Running farms while men were at war
• (15:27) Violence against women during the Revolution
• (18:24) Why did women follow the Continental Army
• (22:42) Who the camp followers really were
• (23:45) The real story behind Molly Pitcher
• (26:10) Women disguising themselves as soldiers
• (27:00) Deborah Sampson Gannett's military service
• (29:52) Women as spies and military couriers
• (37:29) How the Revolution changed women's education
• (42:56) Three overlapping revolutions for liberty
• (44:09) How including women changes the Revolution
• (49:06) Recommended books on women and the Revolution

Notable Quotes

• (00:59) “The first thing I'd like to tackle is this myth of women as passive observers of a revolutionary war.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (08:17) “If women refused to join the boycott, we would still be singing Hail to the King.” — Carol Berkin
• (29:52) “The idea that the war itself didn't involve women is nonsense.” — Carol Berkin
• (42:56) “The revolution was a woman's war as well as a man's war.” — Carol Berkin
• (44:09) “When you include women in the story of the revolution, it changes the nature of the revolution itself.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (45:31) “You're giving more than half the country an ability to see themselves in the American Revolution and to feel like they're part of it.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

Carol Berkin

• Biography: https://www.womenshistory.org/about-us/supporters-and-sponsors/museum-advisory-council/carol-berkin-phd
• Books: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Carol-Berkin/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ACarol%2BBerkin

The American Revolution wasn't won by ideals alone. It required an army. But how do you build a fighting force from scratch when your citizens believe standing armies are the tools of tyrants? And how does that ragtag collection of farmers, apprentices, and adventurers end up creating something far more lasting than military victory: a shared national identity?

In this episode, Matthew Brogdon and Savannah Eccles Johnston examine the extraordinary challenge of forging the Continental Army. They trace the journey from the spontaneous militia mobilization around Boston to Washington's desperate Christmas gamble at Trenton, from the crisis of expiring enlistments to Baron von Steuben's legendary training regimen. 

Along the way, they explore the remarkable story of Deborah Sampson, who served 17 months disguised as a man, and consider what motivated ordinary people to endure years of deprivation, disease, and danger.

The hosts also examine Washington's deliberate strategy to transcend regional loyalties by mixing regiments from different states, establishing uniform drills and symbols, and creating an institution where shared suffering forged common purpose. They reveal how this experience shaped Washington's postwar vision for a national university and federal city, and why the Continental Army became the training ground for America's first generation of national leaders.

Tune in to discover how a desperate, underfed, perpetually dissolving army became the crucible of American nationhood, and why Washington believed that what worked for the army could work for the entire country.

In This Episode

• (00:00) Introduction
• (00:16) Creating an American identity through the Army
• (01:55) Why the Minutemen couldn't win a long war
• (04:03) The challenges of short-term enlistments
• (04:34) How Revolutionary soldiers differed across the colonies
• (07:53) Why Americans chose to fight
• (08:11) Deborah Sampson's extraordinary military service
• (11:34) Honor, duty, and the motivations of Revolutionary soldiers
• (14:52) Why recruiting the Continental Army remained difficult
• (16:13) Washington's struggle to keep his army together
• (17:18) The Delaware campaign and an army on the brink
• (20:32) Incentives, pensions, and recruiting soldiers
• (21:25) Drafts, substitutes, and military service
• (23:00) Building a national army from state militias
• (24:13) Washington's strategy for creating unity
• (26:39) Shared sacrifice and the birth of American identity
• (27:03) How the Continental Army shaped future national leaders
• (28:22) Washington's vision for a national university
• (30:07) Why the Continental Army made Washington the Father of the Nation
• (30:25) Final reflections

Notable Quotes

• (01:25) "This notion of the yeoman farmer... steps out into public life to take part in a militia and defend the community." — Matthew Brogdon
• (11:34) "There's simply the bare fact of the notion that it's a matter of honor, to defend your home, your country." — Matthew Brogdon
• (13:08) "People don't risk their lives for things they don't believe in... but young men especially don't necessarily need good reasons to go to war." — Matthew Brogdon
• (16:08) "Long-term, there are good reasons why enlistments struggle. But there's also a difficulty in keeping soldiers at all." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (18:12) "Washington's own troops are going to have little reason to stick around if it looks like all we're going to do is lose." — Matthew Brogdon
• (23:17) "You have to rely on states to make this army function, but you're trying to make it a national army... into a national institution." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (26:43) "If you put a bunch of Americans from different parts of the country... into one thing, and you just make them suffer next to each other, you can actually forge a national identity." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (29:27) "The Union wants to fly apart. And the question is, what kind of adhesive is going to hold it together?" — Matthew Brogdon
• (30:13) "Washington's Father of the Nation, not just as first president, but as the man who first forges a national American identity... with the army itself." — Savannah Eccles Johnston

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

Matthew Brogdon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brogdon-8a21bb89/
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/matthew_brogdon.html

The Southern Campaign is one of the most overlooked turning points of the American Revolution. This episode asks a sharper question: what happened when the fight for independence stopped looking like British regulars against American patriots and started looking like Americans fighting Americans?

In this episode of This Constitution, Savannah Eccles Johnston and Matthew Brogdon examine why the British turned south after failing to defeat Washington in the North. The British believed the South offered better odds because of loyalist support, economic dependence on British trade, and cultural ties to England. At first, the strategy seemed to work. Savannah fell, Charleston was captured, and Camden shattered much of the Southern Continental Army.

But the South changed the character of the war. Johnston and Brogdon explore how the Revolution became deeply personal, dividing families, communities, and regions between loyalists and patriots. They discuss Southern honor culture, violent reprisals, backcountry resistance, and why some historians describe this period as America’s first civil war.

Tune in to learn how Nathanael Greene, Daniel Morgan, and the militia fighters helped reverse British momentum. The episode covers Kings Mountain, Cowpens, Guilford Courthouse, and the collapse of Cornwallis’ Southern strategy. It reveals one of the Revolution’s clearest lessons: holding territory is not the same as controlling a people.

In This Episode

• (00:00) Podcast Introduction
• (00:12) Welcome to This Constitution
• (00:16) Why does the episode focus on the Southern Campaign
• (00:30) How the Revolution became more like a civil war
• (00:54) Why the British strategy in the South failed
• (01:00) Why the British pivoted south after Saratoga
• (01:49) Loyalists, royalists, and Tory support in the South
• (03:35) Southern elites and British cultural ties
• (04:28) The South’s economic dependence on British trade
• (05:30) Rice, indigo, tobacco, and the Southern economy
• (05:48) Cornwallis and early British success
• (06:00) Savannah, Charleston, Camden, and American defeat
• (08:31) Patriots vs. loyalists in the South
• (09:04) Honor culture, violence, and family reprisals
• (12:34) Why the British overestimated loyalist support
• (13:11) Nathanael Greene takes command
• (14:09) Washington’s Fabian strategy moves south
• (15:14) Kings Mountain and the Overmountain Men
• (18:25) Cowpens and Daniel Morgan’s victory
• (20:28) Why Cowpens changed the psychology of the war
• (21:48) Guilford Courthouse and costly British victory
• (22:06) The collapse of the Southern strategy
• (22:38) Cornwallis moves toward Virginia and Yorktown
• (26:43) Why the Southern Campaign deserves more attention
• (27:44) Closing Credits

Notable Quotes

• (00:30) “It becomes much more like a civil war than a revolutionary war.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (05:15) “There are lots of reasons to think culturally, to think in terms of the elite and the society there, that you would have affinity with the British.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (09:04) “The American South is a bit of an honor culture.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (14:21) “We cannot win large-scale engagements.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (21:03) “The most compelling argument you can make in this kind of debate is a victory on the battlefield.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (27:37) “If you don’t win, you can’t make a new constitutional order.” — Matthew Brogdon

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

Matthew Brogdon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brogdon-8a21bb89/
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/matthew_brogdon.html

Are Americans Declaration People or Constitution People?

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are two of America’s most important founding documents, but this episode asks a deeper civic question: which one actually defines who Americans are?

In this Fourth of July episode, Savannah Eccles Johnston is joined by Dr. Leah Murray, Brady Presidential Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Philosophy and Director of the Walker Institute of Politics & Public Policy at Weber State University. Together, they explore whether Americans are more emotionally shaped by the Declaration’s ideals or more practically shaped by the Constitution’s institutions.

The conversation examines the Declaration as the “heart” of America and the Constitution as its “head.” The Declaration gives the country its moral purpose: equality, liberty, natural rights, and the pursuit of happiness. The Constitution gives the country a structure for living together despite disagreement, ambition, self-interest, and competing visions of the good.

Tune in to learn why the Fourth of July is not just a celebration of independence, but a reminder of the truths America is still trying to live up to. Johnston and Murray discuss civic education, local politics, legitimate disagreement, the meaning of equality, and why Americans may need to recover the founding ideas they have forgotten.

In This Episode

• (00:00) Podcast Introduction
• (00:39) Introduction to Dr. Leah Murray
• (01:17) Are Americans Declaration people or Constitution people?
• (01:32) The Declaration as America’s heart and the Constitution as its head
• (03:02) Why Americans connect more emotionally with the Declaration
• (05:25) How the Constitution responded to the failures of early American government
• (07:30) Rights, civic behavior, and the Bill of Rights
• (10:24) Do Americans still believe in universal truths?
• (13:00) Why citizenship has to be taught
• (13:59) Equality, opportunity, and America’s unfinished work
• (15:51) What “the pursuit of happiness” really means
• (18:03) Do Americans actually like representative democracy?
• (20:00) Whether Americans still believe disagreement is legitimate
• (22:19) Why constitutional government depends on local relationships
• (24:32) What happens when the Declaration and Constitution clash
• (27:18) Why America needs both founding documents
• (31:19) What every American should do on the Fourth of July

Notable Quotes

• (02:23) “To me, the Declaration is the heart, the Constitution is the head, and both of these are right.” — Dr. Leah Murray
• (09:12) “The Constitution is my favorite... but when you ask me what America is and where we resonate, I think it’s the Declaration.” — Dr. Leah Murray
• (13:07) “Citizenship has to be taught. It is a habit.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (17:35) “It’s not just I get to do whatever I want. It’s about being the best version of myself in the community I find myself in.” — Dr. Leah Murray
• (18:34) “It’s not a concierge planet.” — Dr. Leah Murray
• (22:21) “A return to local to be able to save our ability to be a constitutional people.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (27:29) “The Constitution is nothing without the beauty of the Declaration, and the Declaration is just noise without the vehicle.” — Dr. Leah Murray
• (31:30) “They need to know the Declaration of Independence, and if on the Fourth of July all they’re doing is lighting off fireworks and not reading that document, they are doing themselves a disservice.” — Dr. Leah Murray

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Dr. Leah Murray

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leah-murray-wsu
• Bio: https://www.weber.edu/lmurray/

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

What Happens When an Army Freezes and a Government Can’t Supply It?

Valley Forge is remembered as one of the great symbols of American endurance, but this episode asks a deeper constitutional question: what happens when a revolution depends on a government too weak to supply its own army?

In this episode, co-hosts Savannah Eccles Johnston and Matthew Brogdon tell the story of the Continental Army’s brutal winter after the British captured Philadelphia. Washington chose to camp just 18 miles from the occupied city, close enough to pressure the British but far enough to avoid surprise attack. What followed was a six-month test of survival: 9,000 soldiers entered, thousands lived in cramped log cabins, and hunger, disease, cold, and supply failures pushed the army to the edge.

The episode explores what Valley Forge revealed about the weakness of Congress, the limits of state cooperation, and the danger of relying on civic virtue when food, clothing, and money disappear. Johnston and Brogdon also discuss Martha Washington’s role in restoring morale, the performance of Cato, Baron Friedrich von Steuben’s transformation of the army, and how Black soldiers’ service helped shape Washington’s changing views on slavery.

Tune in to learn why Valley Forge was not only a military turning point, but also a constitutional warning. The army survived, but barely, and the lessons learned there would help shape the case for a stronger national government.

In This Episode

• (00:00) Introduction
• (00:22) Why Valley Forge became an iconic American story
• (01:32) The British capture of Philadelphia
• (03:43) Why armies stopped fighting during winter
• (04:34) Washington responds to critics
• (05:16) Why Washington chose Valley Forge
• (06:28) 9,000 men enter, and 7,000 come out
• (08:04) Hunger, disease, and brutal conditions
• (09:23) Why Congress could not supply the army
• (13:14) Washington’s circular letter to the states
• (16:26) Farmers, profit, and civic virtue
• (18:15) Martha Washington arrives
• (21:53) Cato and republican virtue
• (27:08) Baron von Steuben disciplines the army
• (31:00) Black soldiers join the Continental Army
• (35:18) Final lessons from Valley Forge

Notable Quotes

• (00:37) “Valley Forge... is this kind of iconic moment in American history of suffering and perseverance and ultimate triumph.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (00:56) “It’s also a moment that rings warning bells about the weakness of Congress.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (17:32) “The profit motive is not always patriotic.” — Matthew Brogdon
• (35:32) “What emerges from Valley Forge is not the same as what went into Valley Forge.” — Savannah Eccles Johnston

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

Matthew Brogdon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brogdon-8a21bb89/
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/matthew_brogdon.html

When we talk about America's founding, we tend to jump straight from the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution. But what held the country together in the eleven years between? What happened after independence was declared? Who ran the war? Who paid for the army? And how did thirteen quarreling states manage to hold together long enough to win?

In this episode, co-hosts Savannah Eccles Johnston and Matthew Brogdon dive into the much-maligned Articles of Confederation, the nation’s first written constitution. They ask whether the Articles deserve their bad reputation, or whether they were actually a surprisingly effective revolutionary government. Topics include the tension between “perpetual union” and state sovereignty, the five-year ratification battle over western lands, the complete absence of an executive or judiciary, and how George Washington’s personal restraint prevented a military coup.

The episode also explores the Articles’ genuine successes: the Northwest Ordinance, which governed slavery in the territories for 70 years, the creation of ad hoc executive departments run by people like Robert Morris, and the lessons that shaped the 1787 Constitution. Along the way, Johnston and Brogdon debate the European Union as a modern analogy, mourn the death of geography education, and ask whether a government that can’t tax but can win a war deserves more credit than it gets.

Tune in to learn why the Articles of Confederation, clunky, slow, and underpowered, might just be the most underrated constitution in American history.

In This Episode

• (00:00) Introduction
• (01:02) What problem were the Articles designed to solve?
• (02:08) Drafting the Articles of Confederation
• (03:44) Was America building a nation or a league of states?
• (04:15) “Perpetual union” versus state sovereignty
• (05:24) Why federalism was still an unfinished idea
• (06:23) Building a government while fighting a war
• (07:12) Comparing the Articles to the European Union
• (09:02) The rise of an American identity distinct from Europe
• (10:42) The structure of the Confederation Congress
• (11:28) Why Congress struggled to function effectively
• (13:22) Why deliberative assemblies struggle during wartime
• (16:05) The dangers of having no executive branch
• (18:08) Committees, enforcement, and the limits of the Articles
• (19:02) How America still managed to win the Revolution
• (19:41) Why ratification took five years
• (20:22) Western land disputes and Maryland’s veto
• (21:02) Did the Declaration itself function as a constitution?
• (22:24) Sea-to-sea charters and the fight over western territories
• (24:03) Why geography matters in civic education
• (25:56) The Confederation Congress and Western Lands Policy
• (28:11) Fear of tyranny versus fear of ineffective government
• (28:35) Madison, factions, and the logic of federalism
• (31:19) Did the Articles accomplish their real purpose?
• (32:01) The Northwest Ordinance and territorial expansion
• (33:32) Why foreign affairs exposed the Articles’ weaknesses
• (34:04) “The plane did fly,”  reassessing the Articles
• (34:17) George Washington and civilian control of the military
• (35:53) How America avoided military dictatorship
• (37:04) The ad hoc executive departments of the Revolution
• (37:53) Final reflections on America’s first government  

Notable Quotes

• (01:02) "If you're going to win a war, you have to have a government. Armies don't equip themselves." — Matthew Brogdon
• (06:18) "They really are building the plane while flying it. They are engaged in the act of constructing these institutions in the middle of fighting a war." — Matthew Brogdon
• (12:41) "The Articles of Confederation treated things as though this was a league of sovereign states — and then it gives the confederation responsibilities that belong to a government, not just a diplomatic assembly." — Matthew Brogdon
• (18:01) "A government without an executive and a judicial power to carry the laws into execution is like a body without arms and legs to act and move." — Matthew Brogdon, quoting Madison
• (19:21) "It was a fairly effective revolutionary government, as revolutionary governments go. You can think of some really not successful ones." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (34:05) "Congress does build the plane while flying it, but the plane does fly — it's a bit of a clunker, but it got the job done." — Matthew Brogdon
• (35:50) "At least part of what allowed them to be successful was Washington's restraint." — Savannah Eccles Johnston
• (36:29) "Without people making the right choices, without people taking virtuous action, the best-laid structure is not going to save you from disaster or tyranny." — Matthew Brogdon
• (37:59) "They did the job they were supposed to do. They didn't dissolve into anarchy. They didn't become a tyranny — because of the civic virtue of George Washington." — Savannah Eccles Johnston

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Savannah Eccles Johnston

• linkedin.com/in/savannah-eccles-johnston-515a72198
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/savannah_eccles_johnston.html

Matthew Brogdon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brogdon-8a21bb89/
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/matthew_brogdon.html

Recommended Reading

• The Articles of Confederation: The First Constitution of the United States (primary source)
• Ratification by Pauline Maier
• The Quartet by Joseph J. Ellis

Was the American Revolution really about breaking away from Britain? Or was it first a fight over who had the right to govern local communities?

In this episode, host Matthew Brogdon sits down with constitutional scholar Sean Beienburg to unpack the forgotten federalism debate at the heart of the American Founding. Long before the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution, Americans were already arguing that Parliament could not truly represent people living thousands of miles away. What began as a dispute over taxation quickly became a much deeper constitutional conflict about sovereignty, local self-government, and the dangers of concentrated power.

Together, Brogdon and Beienburg trace how ideas first argued during the Stamp Act crisis eventually shaped the Articles of Confederation, the Constitution, and the 10th Amendment itself. They explore why early Americans believed states retained most governing authority, how federalism helped anti-slavery movements spread across northern states, and why the Civil War debate over “states’ rights” is far more complicated than modern political narratives suggest.

The conversation also dives into prohibition, Reconstruction, the Progressive Era, and modern fights over marijuana, immigration, and federal authority, revealing how constitutional federalism continues to shape political battles across the ideological spectrum.

Tune in to discover why the struggle between local self-government and centralized power has been part of the American story from the very beginning.

In This Episode

• (00:15) Introduction Sean Beienburg
• (00:47) The American Revolution and local self-government
• (03:58) The British Constitution debate
• (06:40) Continuity from colonies to states
• (08:05) The First Continental Congress's Declaration and Resolves
• (11:20) Federalism in early state constitutions
• (14:18) The Massachusetts Constitution of 1780
• (17:54) British sympathy for the American argument
• (21:02) The Articles of Confederation
• (27:44) From the Articles to the Constitution
• (31:01) Federalism and the abolition of slavery
• (38:27) Federalism during the Civil War and Reconstruction
• (42:04) The "Lost Cause" narrative
• (42:51) Federalism in later American politics
• (45:43) Prohibition as a federalism debate
• (50:42) The enduring relevance of federalism

Notable Quotes

• (01:06) "The American Revolution is obviously about the idea of self-government, but the question is self-government by whom? And I think that if you look at the debates, what jumps out is that the grounds cited were about power being vested in the provincial, the colonial legislatures." — Sean Beienburg
• (08:56) "They're not saying give us representation in Parliament. They're saying: we are entitled to a free and exclusive power of legislation in their several provincial legislatures. This is the assertion that the English colonies in North America are self-governing states that are part of a broader empire." — Matthew Brogdon
• (13:34) "All of the northern state constitutions — the states that are rewriting a new one — they put this language in there. I've got the goods on this. Federalism, the idea that most stuff stays in-house at the states, is a value they assert repeatedly." — Sean Beienburg
• (17:07) "The Federal Constitution is only part of the people's constitution. If you want to know the rest of the Constitution that governs the people of the state of Utah, you'd have to go look at our state constitution." — Matthew Brogdon (citing Troy Smith)
• (35:06) "If you look at the secession manifestos from the Southern states, they are as angry or angrier at northern states invoking federalism against slavery, like they're mad that the northern states aren't participating in extradition or the Fugitive Slave act kind of stuff.." — Sean Beienburg
• (52:34) "Constitutional federalism is a part of all of our constitutional heritage, and I think we've sort of lost track of that. I hope that's something America will continue to rediscover." — Sean Beienburg
• (53:15) "Even if they might be disingenuous, they might get in the habit and decide they like it. Try it, you might like it. Constitutional federalism is a pretty good thing." — Sean Beienburg

Resources and Links

This Constitution  

• Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-constitution/id1771900485
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0IQCq5DUPWlImiAdc4t3pf?si=85085b24b55b4130
• Website: https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/projects/this_constitution_podcast.html
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@centerforconstitutionalstu8915/videos

Sean Beienburg

• https://search.asu.edu/profile/3326978

Matthew Brogdon

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brogdon-8a21bb89/
• https://www.uvu.edu/ccs/people/matthew_brogdon.html

When we picture the American Revolution, we see George Washington on horseback, minutemen at Concord, and the signing of the Declaration. But what if the real story of independence was written not on land, but on water? 

In this season premiere, host Matthew Brogdon sits down with National Book Award–winning historian Nathaniel Philbrick (author of Bunker Hill, Valiant Ambition, In the Heart of the Sea, and Travels with George) to explore the revolution as a maritime conflict. 

From the siege of Boston to the desperate crossing of the Delaware, from Benedict Arnold’s makeshift “mosquito fleet” on Lake Champlain to the French naval victory at the Battle of the Chesapeake that sealed Cornwallis’s fate at Yorktown, Philbrick reveals how control of rivers, lakes, and oceans determined the war’s outcome.

Philbrick also discusses the power of visiting historical sites, the essential role of Washington’s resilience and leadership, and why the coming America 250 anniversary is the perfect moment to get on the road and see these places for yourself. He shares how moving to Nantucket first ignited his passion for history, why the Revolution was far longer and more fragile than most textbooks suggest, and how a hurricane in the Caribbean, not a land battle, set the stage for victory at Yorktown.

Tune in to learn why the American Revolution was, in Philbrick’s words, a “watery revolution” and how understanding the sea changes everything we thought we knew about the fight for independence.

In This Episode

• (01:37) Meet Nathaniel Philbrick
• (02:10) Why physically visiting Revolutionary War sites matters
• (04:30) America 250 and renewed interest in historic travel
• (06:39) From Nantucket to becoming a historian and writer
• (09:01) The next book: the gold rush and the western frontier
• (12:25) The sea as a key force in America’s origins
• (13:55) Why the Revolution was more naval than we remember
• (15:10) Rivers, lakes, and controlling movement during the war
• (16:39) Boston, New York, and British naval dominance
• (20:09) The Hudson River and the fight for key waterways
• (21:19) Washington’s crossing of the Delaware: myth and reality
• (24:38) Washington’s leadership under pressure
• (25:27) Creativity and leadership during moments of crisis
• (28:39) Benedict Arnold and Lake Champlain’s role in the Revolution
• (33:05) Ingenuity and the “Mosquito Fleet” at Valcour Island
• (36:25) Saratoga, Arnold, and the New York campaign
• (37:35) Yorktown, Washington, and the French fleet
• (40:07) What if Washington had joined the British Navy?
• (42:01) Why the French nearly abandoned the American cause
• (45:25) Hurricanes and the overlooked role of the French Navy
• (46:40) The Battle of the Capes and the road to Yorktown
• (48:16) Leadership, statesmanship, and chance in the Revolution
• (49:00) Where to go for America's 250th
• (49:57) Final reflections 

Notable Quotes

• (06:04) "You don't take a trip,  the trip takes you. There's always something unexpected." — Nathaniel Philbrick, quoting John Steinbeck
• (13:56) "The narrative of the revolution for most of us begins with the minutemen at Lexington and Concord. And then each battle is like a stepping stone that inevitably leads us to Yorktown. The fact is, this war went on forever — for close to a decade." — Nathaniel Philbrick
• (16:48) “Washington began to realize, wow, I need to really consider the water if we're ever going to have a chance of winning this battle.” — Nathaniel Philbrick
• (25:30) "There was a military tradition at that time that your army went into winter quarters and the fighting stopped. Washington decided one last gamble — one roll of the dice — was worth it." — Nathaniel Philbrick
• (34:48) "Benedict Arnold, during a naval battle fought inland on a lake, saved America in the fall of 1776." — Nathaniel Philbrick
• (44:48) "Three successive hurricanes hit in the fall of 1780, including the Great Storm of 1780, where 20,000 people were estimated to have died — to this day the most devastating hurricane ever recorded." — Nathaniel Philbrick
• (46:59) “Without the French Navy, we would not have won the American Revolution.” — Nathaniel Philbrick
• (48:16) "It all came down to leadership. Without Washington, we would not have won the American Revolution — and we probably would not have formed a long-standing republic." — Nathaniel Philbrick
• (49:33) "Wherever you are, think about what did Americans contribute to the winning of independence in that place." — Matthew Brogdon