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 excluded from those moments in history, their contributions to the forming of our nation were enormous. In a multi-part series, Civics Shorts focuses on some of the women that journalist Cokie Roberts called “the founding mothers.” 

First up: the four wives of our founding fathers: Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolly Madison, and Eliza Hamilton.

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Final Founding Mothers 1.wav: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Final Founding Mothers 1.wav: this wav audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Nick Capodice:
I'm Nick Capodice.

Hannah McCarthy:
And I'm Hannah McCarthy. All right, Nick, when you think about the most fundamental players in the early history of the United States, who comes to mind,

Nick Capodice:
The founding fathers, right?

Hannah McCarthy:
Sure, of course. That's what the history books say. But as the founding fathers developed, our Declaration of Independence led us into the war for independence and wrote the principles of our government. There were many, many women whose contributions to our early history were enormous.

Nick Capodice:
Civic shorts is focusing on the women behind the founding of the United States in a multipart series. First up, Martha Washington, Abigail Adams, Dolly Madison and Eliza Hamilton for Wives of Our Founding Fathers.

Christina Phillips:
Ok, hold up. That doesn't mean we have to defy these women just because of who they were married to. I'm Christina.

Jacqui Fulton:
And I'm Jacqui. And today we're talking about a couple women who made a significant impact on the founding of our nation.

Christina Phillips:
Have you ever heard the phrase history is written by the winners?

Jacqui Fulton:
Right. The people who decide what matters are the ones who have the power together.

Archival Presidential Audio:
We have made history here today and the ability with a sense not only of the moment in history, but also of history itself to record our history. We have it within our power to make history and pass it on. Let's not be afraid to do so.

Christina Phillips:
And when we think about the founding of our nation in our early democracy, those winners, our founding fathers, were predominantly white, educated, wealthy men who could read and write.

Jacqui Fulton:
They were the authors of our founding documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

The people should have as little to do as possible with the government. The election of the larger branch must be by the people, the people are dupes!

Jacqui Fulton:
And their letters, speeches, autobiographies and diaries. Help us understand how our government came to be.

Christina Phillips:
But that leaves out a huge portion of our history from and about people who weren't in these positions of power. In fact, the majority of people were excluded from the moments we learned about from the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the writing of the Constitution. Not only could women and enslaved people not vote, many couldn't read and write either because it was discouraged for women or outright banned for enslaved people. A lot of what we study in our nation's history comes directly from those founding fathers, and it's based on what and who they deem important.

Jacqui Fulton:
Are you saying that this history is not the right history?

Christina Phillips:
It absolutely is our history, but it's not the complete history. There are a lot of stories left out. Now, before we begin, it's important to recognize that these women still have a great deal of privilege.

Jacqui Fulton:
They were white women who were married to very powerful men and had access to some education and wealth not afforded to the majority of the population.

Christina Phillips:
We want to focus on how they turned that privilege into action. So let's start with the MVP of strongly worded letters, Abigail Adams. "A people may let a king fall, yet still remain a people. But if a king let his people slip from him, he is no longer a king. And as this is most certainly the case, why not proclaim to the world in decisive terms your own importance?"

Christina Phillips:
That was Abigail writing to her husband, John Adams, founding father and future president of the United States in July 1776.

Jacqui Fulton:
Wait a minute. Why aren't we starting with Martha Washington? Her husband was the first president of the United States.

Christina Phillips:
Remember what else happened in 1776? On July 4th, the founding fathers declared independence from Great Britain. So as that was happening, Abigail Adams was telling John Adams by letter why she thought it mattered that the colonies take a stand. Most of what we know about Abigail Adams is through the letters that she and her husband wrote to each other throughout their marriage, like most women at that time. Adams was not formally educated, but she learned to read and write in her family's extensive library and developed an interest in politics.

Jacqui Fulton:
Why was she writing John Adams letters instead of talking to him in person?

Christina Phillips:
This is something we see a lot from the wives of the Founding Fathers while their husbands were debating and steaming hot rooms about the future of our country and then leading the war for independence, their wives were in charge of running their homes, raising their children and taking care of the finances. And Abigail recognize the importance of herself and other women. Here she is in another letter in 1776.

Christina Phillips:
"Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation."

Christina Phillips:
And she wasn't afraid to manage the family money as she thought best. While John Adams wanted to buy and manage more land, Abigail decided to invest their money in government bonds. She referred to these investments as money I call my own. After the Revolutionary War, John Adams continued to turn to Abigail like in 1797 after he was elected president. He wrote to her that he had never wanted her advice more in his life.

Christina Phillips:
"I am highly pleased with your criticisms and observations on my adieus to the Senate, their answer and my reply before. Now you have a long speech, which I hope you will discount on as learnedly and ingeniously."

Jacqui Fulton:
What about Martha Washington?

Christina Phillips:
Ok, let's take a step back to the Revolutionary War, when George Washington was then a general and commander in chief of the continental forces. Here's the scene. In the fall of 1777, the British took Philadelphia after defeating the Continental Army there, and Washington realized he needed somewhere to bring his 12000 troops for the winter.

Jacqui Fulton:
Yeah, it's not like they could hop on a plane and go home for winter break in between battles. They needed a place to live.

Christina Phillips:
Washington decided that that place was Valley Forge, which was about 20 miles from Philadelphia. As you can imagine, 12000 wounded, cold, hungry soldiers gathering in one place to hunker down for the winter requires a lot of food, coats, blankets, shelter.

Jacqui Fulton:
I'm hungry and cold just thinking about it.

Christina Phillips:
And Martha Washington, who in her first marriage and her marriage to George Washington had overseen her family's plantations and the enslaved people there had the management experience for the job.

Jacqui Fulton:
She arrived there in February of 1778 and put her skills to work, organizing supplies, managing the domestic staff, including enslaved people, and establishing sewing circles of women and children to repair uniforms.

Christina Phillips:
It's estimated that 2000 of those 12000 men died that winter of disease and starvation. But without Martha Washington, that number may have been even higher. She later established the Ladies Association of Philadelphia with Esther to read this association organized women to raise money and contribute to the war effort. And Washington helped spread ladies associations throughout the colonies.

Jacqui Fulton:
Let's jump ahead past the Revolutionary War and after the Constitutional Convention to win our baby, federal government was up and running.

Christina Phillips:
That young government was soon dominated by two feuding political parties, the Federalists and the Democratic Republican Party. This was the beginning of that political polarization. That's a key component of our government to this day.

Audio Clip:
Did we not fighting a bloody and costly revolution to rid ourselves of British contagion.

Jacqui Fulton:
And Dolly Madison, who is the wife of James Madison, our fourth vice president, really shaped the role of first lady.

Christina Phillips:
She bridged growing gaps between the two political parties using the best method she knew throwing a party.

Jacqui Fulton:
Yeah, I can see the perks of working with your political opponent that way.

Christina Phillips:
Everything's always easier with food. The other responsibilities she took on included working with local charities and decorating the White House, which served as a model for first ladies to come.

Jacqui Fulton:
Ok, last but not least, Eliza Hamilton.

Christina Phillips:
After her husband was killed in the famous duel against Aaron Burr in 1884, Eliza raised their seven children under enormous financial strain. But she also recognized the importance of her husband's legacy. She gathered and preserved her husband's writing and insisted it be archived in the Library of Congress.

Jacqui Fulton:
She even sent out questionnaires to her husband's colleagues to learn more about his work and her expertise was essential for when her son, John Church Hamilton wrote the book The History of the Republic of the United States of America.

Christina Phillips:
Ron Chernow, who wrote the book, Alexander Hamilton, which later inspired the musical, said of Eliza: Her efforts made it easier to research Alexander's life because after his death, his enemies were in power.

Jacqui Fulton:
She also founded the Orphan Asylum Society, New York's first private orphanage, which aided over 700 children.

Christina Phillips:
So the next time you hear about the founding fathers, take a second to remember the ladies. They might not be in your history book, but that doesn't mean they didn't make a huge difference. This episode was produced by me, Christina Phillips, with help from Jacqui Fulton, Hannah McCarthy Nick Capodice and Michalski. Erica Janik is our executive producer. Music in this episode by Blue DOT Sessions. You can listen to more Civics 101 at civics101podcast.org. Civics 101 is a production of NHPR New Hampshire Public Radio.

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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 on the Senate floor for hours on end to stall. But there’s much more to the filibuster than that. Is it a tool of partisan obstruction or the defining feature of the Senate? Does it undermine the democratic process or force bipartisanship and compromise?

Today’s Civics short is designed for middle schoolers but like all sugary cereals it’s also fun for adults.

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Filibuster Civics Short_FINAL.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Filibuster Civics Short_FINAL.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

(speaker):
Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Nick Capodice:
Hey, I'm Nick Capodice.

Hannah McCarthy:
And I'm Hannah McCarthy. Nick, do you know anything about the Senate filibuster?

Nick Capodice:
I do. But first and foremost, I know it comes from the Dutch word meaning "pirate." Do you know a pirates' favorite letter?

Hannah McCarthy:
Arrrrrrrrr!

Nick Capodice:
"R" be fine. But his first love be the "C."

Hannah McCarthy:
Ok, well, it's a good thing that we have Mitch Scacchi and Christina Phillips here to tell us a little bit more about one of the most complicated and controversial topics in American politics on today's Civics Short.

Nick Capodice:
It's designed with middle schoolers in mind, but can be a refresher for those of all ages. Take it away, folks!

"Why hold this vote at all if it's destined for failure?"

"Diane, the answer's one word. It's the filibuster. The reason that it can't pass is because of the Senate filibuster. Even if all the Democrats...."

"...60 votes to end a filibuster on legislation or 51?"

"If we can end it with 51, we would have no problem...."

Mitch Scacchi:
Filibuster, filibuster, filibuster. Opponents say it undermines our democracy and the will of the people, while supporters argue it's the cornerstone of the United States Senate and crucial to its success.

Christina Phillips:
You could say it's a hotly debated topic, but what is the filibuster? Hi, I'm Christina.

Mitch Scacchi:
And I'm Mitch. Today on Civics Shorts, we're exploring that pesky, tricky, unique Senate tool commonly known as the filibuster.

Christina Phillips:
Well, let's stop filibustering and get on with this episode.

"And I would go for another 12 hours to try to break Strom Thurmond's record, but I've discovered that there are some limits to filibustering and I'm going to have to go take care of one of those in a few minutes here...."

Mitch Scacchi:
Republican Senator Rand Paul held a debate on the Senate floor for almost 13 hours in 2013 to stall a vote on President Barack Obama's nominee to run the CIA.

Christina Phillips:
13 hours?! Why is a senator allowed to do that?

Mitch Scacchi:
It's called the filibuster. This is any attempt to block or delay Senate action on a bill or other matter. Call it an obstruction tactic.

Christina Phillips:
You can think of it as "talking a bill to death," and it can go on for hours. The senators just keep talking and talking and talking, hoping they can delay the Senate long enough to prevent it from voting on a proposal.

Hannah McCarthy:
"Senator Strom Thurmond spoke for 24 hours and 18 minutes in what would become the longest speaking filibuster in Senate history."

Christina Phillips:
Senators can also filibuster by proposing a laundry list of amendments to bills.

Mitch Scacchi:
Quite frankly, senators don't even have to talk about anything relevant while filibustering.

"I do so like green eggs and ham. Thank you, thank you, Sam I Am."

Christina Phillips:
See? Not relevant at all, but he could carry out his, quote unquote "debate," as long as he pleased. Luckily, there is a way for the Senate to break a filibuster.

Mitch Scacchi:
That's right. This is called cloture, which means you're ending debate and taking a vote. It's the only formal way to break a filibuster.

Christina Phillips:
The Senate's cloture rule, known as Senate Rule 22, requires what's known as a "supermajority" to invoke cloture, or end debate.

Mitch Scacchi:
There are different kinds of majorities in the Senate. With 100 senators, a simple majority is one more than half of the Senate, or 51 votes. A three-fifths supermajority is 60 votes.

Christina Phillips:
This three-fifths supermajority, or 60 votes, is what it takes to invoke cloture, break a filibuster, and end debate.

Mitch Scacchi:
Once cloture is invoked, the Senate can debate for another 30 hours, but after that they have to stop and vote.

Christina Phillips:
It's very difficult to reach the 60 votes required for cloture. Control of the Senate often goes back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, so the majority party typically has less than 60 members. So the parties have to work together to end a filibuster.

Mitch Scacchi:
But in recent years, the political parties have become more divided, and so filibusters have become more common, almost expected.

Christina Phillips:
So most things in the Senate need 60 votes to pass rather than the simple majority of 51.

Mitch Scacchi:
So far, we've been discussing the "talking filibuster," where a senator gets up and speaks for 13 hours to stall. But there's another kind of filibuster.

"In the 70s, in the interests of efficiency, senators agreed to no longer require talking filibusters. Instead, now, if you just signal your intent to filibuster, and have 41 votes on your side, a bill...."

Mitch Scacchi:
This is the virtual filibuster. It's not actually a real filibuster, but just the threat of one. Think of it as one side suggesting that it will filibuster and the other side believing it. With the parties so divided, senators operate under the assumption that every proposal will be filibustered.

Christina Phillips:
Senators threatened to filibuster much more often because they can achieve the same results, like stopping a bill or a presidential appointment, without having to go through the time and effort of speaking indefinitely on the Senate floor.

Mitch Scacchi:
The filibuster, whether it's the threat of one or the real deal, has a deep history of obstruction.

Christina Phillips:
But where did it come from?

Mitch Scacchi:
Not from the founders or the Constitution. In 1805, Vice President Aaron Burr suggested that the Senate simplify its rulebook. The following year, the Senate took his advice and, as a consequence, removed a provision from its rules that would have allowed a simple majority to force a vote on a proposal.

Christina Phillips:
So the filibuster was a product of Senate housekeeping?

Mitch Scacchi:
Yeah, I know. And over time, the filibuster and the right to unlimited debate stuck, becoming key features of the already unique Senate. And now they have quite the reputation.

Christina Phillips:
The filibuster was used extensively by segregationist senators to block civil rights legislation during the first half of the 20th century.

Mitch Scacchi:
It's also been used more recently to block presidential nominees from appointment.

"Over the six decades before I took office, only 20 presidential nominees to executive positions had to overcome filibusters. In just under five years since I took office, nearly 30 nominees have been treated this way...."

Christina Phillips:
The Constitution requires the Senate approve the president's choices for high-level government positions, like justices of the Supreme Court and Cabinet members.

Mitch Scacchi:
It's common for senators to filibuster the most important and controversial presidential nominees to prevent their appointments.

Christina Phillips:
But the Senate has adapted to this.

Mitch Scacchi:
It's called...[siren noise]...the nuclear option. This is even more complicated than the filibuster itself, which is why it'll probably be a whole other Civics Short.

Christina Phillips:
The nuclear option is basically a procedure that allows the Senate to change its own rules without debate and with a simple majority of 51 votes. The change sets a new precedent for the Senate to follow. The nuclear option has been used controversially to break filibusters.

Mitch Scacchi:
Here's an example. As we mentioned, Senate Rule 22 states that cloture to end a filibuster takes a three-fifths supermajority, or 60 votes. In 2013, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid used the nuclear option for the first time to propose that cloture be invoked instead by a simple majority, or 51 votes, for all presidential nominations except to the Supreme Court. The presiding officer said, no, because that violates Rule 22. A simple majority of the Senate then voted to overturn this decision and change the rules.

Christina Phillips:
Four years later, the nuclear option was triggered again, this time ending a filibuster with a simple majority of 51 votes for a Supreme Court nomination.

Mitch Scacchi:
"And to that historic move in the Senate. Republicans triggering the so-called "nuclear option." That sets up a vote tomorrow now to confirm Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch by a simple majority...."

Christina Phillips:
So why's the filibuster only a feature of the Senate? What about the House of Representatives?

Mitch Scacchi:
Under Article One, section five of the Constitution, "Each House may determine the Rules of its Proceedings." Basically, the House and Senate get to decide their own rules. The House has set limits on debate, but the Senate, on the other hand, has not.

Christina Phillips:
And what does the future look like for the filibuster?

Mitch Scacchi:
Who knows? There are those who want to keep it, those who want to eliminate it, and those who want to reform it.

"The 60-vote threshold is the reason why huge pillars of domestic policy don't oscillate back and forth every time a different party wins a majority...."

"At the end of the day, we have to end the filibuster. It is just unfair and undemocratic for a minority of the Senate to prevent what the majority of people want in this country...."

Christina Phillips:
Supporters say the filibuster makes the Senate the unique body it was designed to be, helps the Senate resist the whims of public opinion, protects the Senate minority from the tyranny of the majority, and forces bipartisanship and compromise.

Mitch Scacchi:
But its critics say the filibuster undermines the democratic process and representative government, defies the will of the people, provides too much power to the minority party, and is a tool of partisan obstruction and makes it too difficult to get anything done.

Christina Phillips:
What would it take to get rid of it?

Mitch Scacchi:
Besides ratifying a constitutional amendment, there are two ways to reform or get rid of the filibuster. One is for the Senate to formally change its own rules. This would require a two-thirds supermajority vote of senators present, or likely 67 votes. The other is to use the nuclear option. With a simple majority of 51 votes, the Senate could essentially change its rules to allow a simple majority to invoke cloture and break all filibusters.

Christina Phillips:
So it's complicated.

Nick Capodice:
This episode was produced by Mitchell Scacchi, with help from Jacqui Fulton, Christina Phillips, Hannah McCarthy, and Nick Capodice.

Hannah McCarthy:
Erika Janik is our executive producer. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

Nick Capodice:
You can listen to more Civics 101 at Civics101podcast.org. Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is a production of NHPR, New Hampshire Public Radio.

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Sonix has many features that you'd love including automated translation, transcribe multiple languages, enterprise-grade admin tools, world-class support, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.

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 in the room when the most important policy decisions are being made in the White House. But what else is there to know about the position itself, its structure, and what the vice president’s job actually entails? Listen here to find out!

Today’s Civics short is designed for middle schoolers but like all sugary cereals it’s also fun for adults.

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VP Civics Short_FINAL.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

VP Civics Short_FINAL.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Speaker1:
Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Hannah McCarthy:
Hi there, I'm Hannah McCarthy.

Nick Capodice:
Nick Capodice here.

Hannah McCarthy:
And this is Civics 101. Today's latest installment of Civics Shorts is about the vice president of the United States.

Nick Capodice:
This short is created with middle schoolers in mind, but it's also for anyone who wants a quick refresher. All right, Mitch and Jacqui, take it away.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar:
"To administer the oath to our first African-American, our first Asian-American, and our first woman vice president, Kamala Harris, it is my great...."

Mitch Scacchi:
History was made on January 20th, 2021, in Washington, D.C..

Justice Sonia Sotomayor and VP Kamala Harris:
"I Kamala Devi Harris do solemnly swear. I Kamala Devi Harris do solemnly swear. That I will support...."

Jacqui Fulton:
Kamala Harris became the first female, the first African-American, and the first Asian-American vice president of the United States.

Mitch Scacchi:
Her inauguration marked a significant moment in the long history of the vice presidency.

Jacqui Fulton:
But what do we know about the vice president and the office itself? Hi, I'm Jacqui.

Mitch Scacchi:
And I'm Mitch. Today on Civics Shorts, we're talking about the vice president of the United States, the office that John Nance Garner, the 32nd VP, said was not worth a bucket of warm spit.

Jacqui Fulton:
Gross! So what does the VP do and why do we have one? Let's find out.

VP John Adams:
"I am vice president. Yes. And in this, I am nothing. But I may be everything"

Mitch Scacchi:
That was John Adams, our nation's first vice president, from the HBO miniseries "John Adams." He found the office a little tricky to navigate.

Jacqui Fulton:
And it's no wonder why the vice president was an afterthought for the framers of the Constitution. In fact, the Constitution doesn't say much at all about the vice president.

Mitch Scacchi:
Under Article one, section three, the vice president serves as the president of the U.S. Senate, also known as the presiding officer. Despite the lofty title, the vice president can only cast a vote when there's a tie.

Jacqui Fulton:
Most of the time, the vice president isn't sitting in on Senate sessions. The VP usually only presides on ceremonial occasions or when a tie-breaking vote is likely. Recently, these tie-breaking votes have been very important.

VP Mike Pence:
"On this vote the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the vice president votes in the affirmative and the nomination is confirmed."

Mitch Scacchi:
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. The vice president has a job in the legislative branch?

Jacqui Fulton:
That's right. With roles in both the legislative and executive branches of government, the Constitution doesn't clearly assign the vice president to a specific branch.

Sergeant at Arms of the House Paul Irving:
"Madam Speaker! The vice president and the United States Senate!"

Mitch Scacchi:
The vice president's most important job in the executive branch is to be prepared.

Jacqui Fulton:
That's because the vice president is first in line to become the president if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office.

Mitch Scacchi:
This has happened nine times in American history, with eight presidents dying in office and one resigning.

Jacqui Fulton:
Originally, the framers of the Constitution wrote vaguely that "In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the Vice President."

Mitch Scacchi:
But the framers never clarified what they meant. They dropped the mic and walked out.

Jacqui Fulton:
So when William Henry Harrison became the first president to die in office, Vice President John Tyler quickly took the presidential oath of office and became president. This was the example that seven other vice presidents would later follow. The whole thing was officially cleared up by the 25th Amendment in 1967, which specified the line of succession to the presidency.

Mitch Scacchi:
This amendment also solved another issue: what to do when the vice presidency is vacant.

Jacqui Fulton:
That's right. The second section of the amendment says if there's no vice president, the president gets to nominate someone to fill the position, but they have to first be confirmed by a majority of both houses of Congress.

Mitch Scacchi:
This is how both Gerald Ford and Nelson Rockefeller became vice president.

President Richard Nixon:
"The man whose name I will submit to the Congress of the United States for confirmation as the vice president of the United States, Congressman Gerald Ford of Michigan."

Jacqui Fulton:
The vice presidency is often seen as a stepping stone to the presidency. In fact, a total of 15 VPs actually became president from their own election or succession. The vice president's final constitutional duty is to receive the electoral ballots cast for president and vice president from the states and to open the certificates, quote, "in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives" for the total votes to be counted.

Mitch Scacchi:
In her role, the VP announces to Congress the winners of the Electoral College.

VP Al Gore:
"George W. Bush of the state of Texas has received for president of the United States two hundred and seventy one votes. Al Gore of the state of Tennessee has received two hundred and sixty six votes."

Jacqui Fulton:
So how do we elect vice presidents?

Mitch Scacchi:
At each political party's nominating convention? The presidential candidate chooses someone to join their ticket and run as their vice presidential candidate.

Jacqui Fulton:
Under the 12th Amendment, the qualifications to be VP are the same as president.

Mitch Scacchi:
This means the vice president must be a natural born citizen of the United States, be at least 35 years old, and have been a resident of the United States for 14 years.

Jacqui Fulton:
The selection of a vice presidential candidate is closely watched and hotly contested. The candidate is often chosen to either balance the presidential ticket or provide the presidential candidate with experience or expertise, or sometimes both.

Mitch Scacchi:
Maybe the presidential candidate is from the Northeast, and it'd be useful to have a vice presidential candidate from the south or maybe the West to appeal to those voters.

Gov. Mike Pence:
"I accept your nomination to run and serve as vice president of the United States of America."

Jacqui Fulton:
On Election Day, the people vote for the presidential ticket of their choice.

Mitch Scacchi:
Based on the results from each state, the Electoral College meets and each elector casts two distinct ballots, one for president and one for vice president.

Jacqui Fulton:
This wasn't always the case. In the early years of the United States, each elector cast one ballot for president with two names on it. The candidate with the most votes became president and the candidate with the second most votes, a.k.a. the first loser, became vice president.

Mitch Scacchi:
If this system was still in place today, Donald Trump would be President Joe Biden's VP.

Jacqui Fulton:
But this system had some problems.

Mitch Scacchi:
In the election of 1800, Thomas Jefferson tied with Aaron Burr, who was supposed to be Jefferson's running mate. To prevent this from happening again, the 12th Amendment was ratified, which is why electors today cast two separate ballots, one for president and one for vice president.

Jacqui Fulton:
The vice presidential candidate who wins a majority of electoral votes becomes VP.

Mitch Scacchi:
As a separately elected official, the president can't remove the vice president from office. Only impeachment can do that.

Jacqui Fulton:
Exactly. But if the president decides to run for reelection, they can always kick the vice president off their ticket if things didn't work out in the first term.

CNN Anchor:
"There is a bold new idea being floated calling for President Trump to ditch Vice President Mike Pence in 2020."

Mitch Scacchi:
Now, how has the vice presidency changed over time?

Jacqui Fulton:
Well, the history of the vice presidency is filled with people who absolutely hated their jobs.

VP Dick Cheney:
"As I say, I think he was proud of the fact that I got to be vice president, but he never passed up an opportunity to gig me on what a worthless assignment it was."

Mitch Scacchi:
John Adams called it "the most insignificant office."

Jacqui Fulton:
Daniel Webster turned down the opportunity to be VP, saying, "I do not propose to be buried until I am dead." Kinda dramatic, right?

Mitch Scacchi:
For much of its history, everyone made fun of the vice presidency, even vice presidents themselves. But that's changed with time.

Jacqui Fulton:
Today, thanks to several key figures, the modern vice presidency has become a much more influential position and is seen as an important part of a president's administration.

PBS NewsHour William Brangham :
"The outsider Carter relied on Mondale as his guide to Washington's political workings, and Mondale expanded the traditional role of vice president from figurehead to partner."

Mitch Scacchi:
Vice presidents have become close advisers to the president, governing partners, congressional liaisons, and representatives of the administration.

Jacqui Fulton:
They even have a seat on the National Security Council, where decisions are made about national security and foreign policy.

President George H. W. Bush:
"The vice presidency has evolved over the years as something important....it's not a power position per se. The only power you got is what the president says you should have, that's all."

Mitch Scacchi:
The vice president's role in the executive branch has expanded over time. Modern presidents have given their VPs more responsibility in their administrations.

Jacqui Fulton:
There's even an office of the vice president and an official residence at the U.S. Naval Observatory.

Mitch Scacchi:
So, yeah, the vice president is cool now.

Jacqui Fulton:
The vice presidency has come a long way from its unique and limited constitutional structure to an office of great importance in the president's administration.

Mitch Scacchi:
And that's all for today. Thanks for tuning in.

Jacqui Fulton:
We hope you enjoyed learning about the V.P..

Nick Capodice:
This episode was produced by Mitchell Scacchi, with help from Jacqui Fulton, Christina Phillips, Hannah McCarthy, and Nick Capodice.

Hannah McCarthy:
Erica Janik is our Executive Producer. Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

Nick Capodice:
You can listen to more Civics 101 at Civics101podcast.org. Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and is a production of NHPR, New Hampshire Public Radio.

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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 the first lady isn’t an elected position, she still has duties and responsibilities… which we explore in this Civics 101 Short.

Sign up for our Civics 101 Newsletter

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Civics Shorts: The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights is comprised of the first ten amendments to our Constitution. While we may think of the Bill of Rights as fundamental, we almost didn’t have it. So why do we have one? And why did it matter so much? On today’s Civics Shorts, we tackle the Bill of Rights.

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Bill of Rights short final.wav: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Bill of Rights short final.wav: this wav audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Hannah:
Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Hannah:
Hello. Hello. Hannah McCarthy here,

Nick:
Nick Capodice here.

Hannah:
And this is Civics 101. Today, our latest installment of civics Shorts-

Nick:
A teeny tiny refresher on the Bill of Rights.

Hannah:
It's created specifically with middle schoolers in mind, but it's a great refresher for all ages. Enjoy.

Archive:
The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence can live only as long as they are enshrined in our hearts and mind. If they are not so enshrined, they would be no better than money in their glass cases-

Jacqui:
That olden times gentlemen, talking about mummies is President Harry Truman. It's nineteen fifty-two at the unveiling of the Bill of Rights Constitution and Declaration on exhibit at the National Archives for the first time, altogether.

Archive:
But the Constitution is not merely a matter of words. The Constitution is a living clause. It is a growing thing.

Felix:
He has a point. Once the Constitution was written, it could have quickly become out of touch with the Times-

Jacqui:
a dusty old mummy.

Felix:
But the founders had a little trick up their ruffled sleeves to prevent such a cursed fate.

Jacqui:
A way to amend the Constitution written into the very document itself. I'm Jacqui.

Felix:
I'm Felix. And today on Civic Shorts, we're talking about the first ten amendments to the Constitution,

Jacqui:
The Bill of Rights

Felix:
Break that in case of emergencies, protective glass, because here we go.

Jacqui:
Baby America had a proposed law of the land,

Felix:
But the next hurdle would be to ratify it,

Jacqui:
In other words, to get states to agree to go along with it.

Felix:
Each state held a convention to debate and either reject or ratify the Constitution.

Archive:
All those in favor of the ay ay ay ay ay ay.

Felix:
Nine out of 13 states was the magic number needed to agree to the Constitution for it to become the law of the land,

Jacqui:
People in favor of the Constitution, we're called federalists.

Felix:
People who didn't like it were the anti-federalists. For most of the anti-federalists, the deal breaker in the Constitution was that it didn't have a section to preserve fundamental human rights.

Archive:
There is a widespread conviction that there should be a statement of such a right to serve as a basis for court decision.

Jacqui:
They worried that if it wasn't clearly spelled out, that a national government could trample the rights of the people,

Felix:
A president could become like a king, and they'd just gotten rid of one of those in the American Revolution.

Jacqui:
So founder James Madison said to work on finding a middle ground.

Archive:
I have studied upward of 70 proposed amendments to our Constitution.

Felix:
He started with a long list and winnowed it down to 20.

Archive:
We have found 20 which merit prompt attention

Jacqui:
Like the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech.

Felix:
The proposed bill was paying pongs around through the complicated amendment process laid out in the Constitution. First, the House of Representatives, where it was revised, and then the Senate where it was revised again. Then it went to the states to vote on

Archive:
Let's call this meeting to order. There's a whole lot of business on han. And the members of both houses and all those in favor of ay ay ay ay ay.

Jacqui:
Among the rights laid out were freedom of speech and the press and the protections for people accused of a crime.

Felix:
The introduction of the Bill of Rights convinced those opposed to the Constitution to support it. And two years later, the states ratified the Bill of Rights on December 15th, 1791.

Archive:
The first affirms freedom of religion, speech, and press and the right of peaceful assembly and petition. The second the right of states to maintain a militia and the people to keep and bear arms for their security.

Jacqui:
Now, the Bill of Rights didn't magically give everyone fundamental human rights.

Felix:
The folks who wrote the founding documents were white property-owning men, many of them slaveholders. They didn't actually intend for blacks, women, immigrants, or poor people to share the same rights.

Jacqui:
That changed with time

Tom Donnoley:
With the Bill of Rights originally only applied to the national government. And so here with the 14th Amendment, with this generation is looking to say, no, not all of those important rights. They're going to apply to the states as well. Because what we've learned from slavery, what we've learned from the Civil War, is our liberties aren't just threatened by the national government, but they're threatened by the states too.

Jacqui:
Back to President Harry S. Truman.

Archive:
In my opinion, the Bill of Rights is the most important part of the Constitution of the United States

Archive:
At a moment's notice an electrically operated mechanism will safely lower the in-case documents into this massive vault. Both the National Archives has taken every possible precaution for the safekeeping of these historic documents.

Felix:
Resting on the Bill of Rights is more than a piece of paper kept in a high-tech vault. It's important as a symbol and practice to protect our fundamental rights as human beings.

Jacqui:
And this episode was produced by me, Jacqui Fulton and McCarthy Nick Capodice with help from Felix Poon. Erica Janick is the big boss. I'd like to give a shout-out to the best American history teacher of all time, Miss Francis Wall.

Archive:
Hey, girl, what's up?

Tom Donnoley:
My name is Tom Donnelly.

Felix:
For more civic fun, visit us at Civics101podcast.org.

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Civics Shorts: The Constitution

After just six years under the Articles of Confederation, the country was in an economic and political crisis. A committee of anxious delegates agreed to meet in Philadelphia to amend the government. Fifty-five men gathered to determine the shape of the new United States. The result was the Constitution - the supreme law of the land.

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Constitution short final_mixdown.wav: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Constitution short final_mixdown.wav: this wav audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

cpb:
Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Nick:
Hello, Civic 101 listeners, Nick Capodice here.

Hannah:
And MacCarthy here. And today we are bringing you yet another installment of civics shorts

Nick:
A bite-sized refresher on the U.S. Constitution. It's created with middle schoolers in mind.

Hannah:
That all ages can enjoy.

Archive tape:
By gum, I'll stand on my constitutional rights. You know, just saying that made me think, do I really know what my constitutional rights are? Do I really know what the Constitution is?

Jacqui:
I'm Jacqui.

Christina:
I'm Christina.

Christina:
Today on Civics 101 Shorts, we are talking about the Constitution of the United States.

Jacqui:
Pull out your pocket, says Constitution, and let's get crack-a-lakin.

Archive tape:
The and our problems, gentlemen, originate from a government that is no more than a mere contract, resting only on the good faith of the individual states. A government too weak to solve our common problems is a government too weak to preserve our union and our liberties.

Christina:
The year was 1787, and we're at the state house in Philadelphia. It's a meeting of the ultimate old boys club,

Jacqui:
The constitutional convention, the Con Con. Very different from Comic-Con,

Christina:
Although some of the founders did wear wigs to my wig.

Computer:
That has an unfortunate over. Can I borrow someone's wig powder?

Christina:
It was a whole 11 years after the United States had declared independence from Britain and four years since they won the Revolutionary War.

Jacqui:
The law of the land at that point was the Articles of Confederation.

Archive tape:
Article for the better to secure and perpetuate mutual friendship and intercourse among the people of the different states of this union.

Christina:
The national government was made intentionally weak,

Jacqui:
All of the power lay with the states.

Christina:
And the states were not getting along.

Archive tape:
A government too weak to solve our common problems is a government too weak to preserve our union and our liberties.

Jacqui:
Quarreling over land, taxes and trade, it was tearing the country apart.

Christina:
And almost everyone could see that it wasn't working.

Computer:
This isn't working.

Christina:
So the who's who in baby America gathered in Philadelphia.

Jacqui:
Men like James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.

Computer:
My friends call me Electric Ben.

Christina:
George Washington presided over the gathering.

Archive tape:
We shall now open discussion on that clause in the Virginia plan.

Jacqui:
Almost everything I've read about the convention mentions how far it was in there and probably stinky.

Computer:
My wig smells like cheese.

Christina:
So many people were cranky.

Archive tape:
Do I understand, Mr. Randall, to call for the complete overthrow of the state government?

Jacqui:
So soon after they began the convention, decided to scrap the Articles of Confederation and start again,

Christina:
This time with a stronger national government.

Jacqui:
Big questions were wrangled with.

Christina:
What power should a leader have, how should an executive be chosen?

Jacqui:
How should states be represented in the new government?

Jacqui:
Some states, like Delaware, were small.

Christina:
And had a smaller population, while others, like Virginia, were big and had a bigger population.

Jacqui:
So should it be based on population or should every state have the same number of representatives?

Archive tape:
Why not abolish all the states? Let us take them up and divide our states into equal areas with equal representation for each area.

Jacqui:
The solution is what's known as the great compromise.

Christina:
It called for two houses of Congress,

Jacqui:
First, the House of Representatives,

Christina:
Which would be based on population.

Jacqui:
Second, the Senate.

Christina:
In which each state would have two senators.

Jacqui:
White supremacy was baked into the Constitution.

Christina:
An abominable compromise was also made the three-fifths compromise,

Jacqui:
Which counted each enslaved person as only three-fifths of a human being.

Christina:
It was agreed to for tax purposes and representation in the House.

Jacqui:
They also agreed to not ban slavery for at least 20 years

Christina:
The men use bits and bobs from already existing documents,

Jacqui:
The original Virginia plan,

Christina:
The Articles of Confederation,

Jacqui:
The Magna Carta.

Christina:
And the philosophy of John Locke.

Jacqui:
They finally hammered out a final draft.

Christina:
Take it away, Captain James T. Kirk.

Archive tape:
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense. Promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty.

Jacqui:
The Constitution established the three branches of government,

Christina:
The legislative,

Jacqui:
Executive.

Christina:
And judicial branches, 39 delegates signed the document.

Jacqui:
The United States Constitution was adopted on September 17th, 1787.

Christina:
It wasn't until 1791 that all the states ratified the Constitution.

Jacqui:
The Constitution isn't set in stone. It's a living document.

Archive tape:
Article five, which provides for amending the Constitution, shows that the man who wrote...

Christina:
It's been amended 27 times.

Archive tape:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free,

Jacqui:
And it will no doubt be amended in the future.

Archive tape:
The freedom of speech.

Christina:
If it was a rigid document, democracy would have fallen apart- as society changes over time. And that's all she wrote, folks!

Computer:
This episode was produced by Jacqui Fulton.Hannah McCarthy Nick Capodice with help from Christina Phillips. Erika Janik is the big boss.

Computer:
Check out our Web site, civics101podcast.org, for more fun.

Christina:
Take it away, Captain James T. Kirk... Is that a Star Trek reference? Don't tell people that. I feel like a lot of people get really angry if you say you don't know Star Trek.

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Civics Shorts: Declaration of Independence

The Declaration of Independence is one of our founding documents. But why was the Declaration written and what does it actually say?

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Declaration of Independence final w cpb and credits.mp3: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Declaration of Independence final w cpb and credits.mp3: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

cpb:
Civics 101 is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

archive:
All men are created equal, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people that they are absolved from all of the people from.

jacqui:
I'm Jacqui

christina:
I'm Christina.

jacqui:
Today on Civics 101 Shorts, we're talking about the breakup letter heard around the world-

christina:
The Declaration of Independence-

jacqui:
If you know a little something about the founding of the United States. You've probably heard about the nasty breakup it had with Great Britain in the seventeen hundreds.

christina:
But why was the declaration written and what does it actually say?

jacqui:
Put the kettle on and make yourself a steaming cup of East Indian company black tea.

christina:
Let's set the scene for you.

jacqui:
The colonists were angry at Great Britain and it's king-

christina:
George, the third-

jacqui:
for a bunch of stuff.

christina:
But the straw that broke the camel's back was taxes.

jacqui:
For years, Great Britain and its military have protected the colonists, but it became so expensive that they wanted the colonists to start paying their own way.

christina:
The colonists thought this was unfair. They thought they were paying more than their fair share in taxes, especially since they didn't have any representation in parliament.

jacqui:
They had no say in what laws they had to follow. The colonists rebelled. They started boycotting, buying stuff from Great Britain.

christina:
They tarred and feathered tax collectors.

jacqui:
Instead of easing up and playing nice, England doubled down.

christina:
War broke out in 1775.

archive:
The peece died on the Greens of Lexington and Concord. It was murdered again at Bunker Hill.

christina:
The colonists elected delegates to the Continental Congress.

jacqui:
Less than a year later, with constant fighting,most had lost hope of making up with England.

christina:
So Continental Congress got together for a second time.

archive:
They came from all corners of the 13 colonies, by stage by colonial coach, and by horseback.

jacqui:
And a resolution was put forth.

archive:
The following resolution was unanimously adopted. Quote,that these United Colonies, that is, those in rebellion against Great Britain. Are and of a right ought to be free and independent state.

christina:
So five respected men were picked to write a formal declaration of Independence.

archive:
Franklin ,Adams, Sherman ,Livingston, myself, of course.

jacqui:
But as in all group projects, one person really wrote the bulk of it,Thomas Jefferson.

archive:
My name is Thomas Jefferson. When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary.

christina:
It's basically a list of complaints,

jacqui:
A list of all the things that the colonists found unfair and the statement of their rights as citizens.

christina:
All leading up to their right to secede if their rights aren't being met.

jacqui:
Now, Jefferson didn't come up with the entire thing from scratch, parts.

christina:
The ones we tend to remember-

christina:
Were inspired by the work of famous philosophers like John Locke.

archive:
Locke reasoned that in a state of nature, all people seek to have the rights to life, liberty and property.

christina:
And the Virginia Declaration of Independence

archive:
Article number one, that all men are by nature equally free and independent and have certain inherent rights of which when they enter into-

jacqui:
Jefferson waxrv poetic about the natural rights of all people-

christina:
snd slammed King George the third and Parliament.

archive:
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns and destroyed the lives of our people.

jacqui:
It took about three weeks of research and writing before the committee was ready to show the draft to Congress.

christina:
Congress then spent two days editing the document,

archive:
And now there's the next paragraph.

archive:
It is my opinion sir, that the whole passage on the matter of slavery must be admitted.

archive:
And why is it? Why continue what we know is wrong?

archive:
We know it is an abomination.

archive:
If you include this paragraph, you will exclude from our forces those who have most bitterly opposed the case.

jacqui:
Even though the declaration claimed-

archive:
That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

christina:
In reality, they didn't mean all people,

jacqui:
The document was made excluding people,

christina:
Many of the founders were slave owners themselves. Jefferson had deprived over 600 people of their liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

jacqui:
And lined his pockets with money because of their suffering.

christina:
100 years later, abolitionist Frederick Douglass, himself formerly enslaved, gave a speech about the hypocrisy of a celebration of freedom that didn't include people like him.

jacqui:
What to the American slave is your Fourth of July?

archive:
To him, your celebration is a sham. Your boasted liberty an unholy license. Your national greatness, swelling vanity. Your sound of rejoicing are empty and heartless. Your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence. Your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery. Your prayers-

christina:
Black Americans weren't the only ones. Native Americans and women were also not included in the rights and liberties outlined in the Declaration on-

archive:
July four, 1776.

jacqui:
It was actually July 2nd that Congress voted to declare independence.

christina:
On July 4th, 1776.The official wording of the declaration was approved.

jacqui:
Two days later, John Dunlap toward all night, printing out 200 copies of the Declaration of Independence.

archive:
The document went around the country and to the world by the fire of liberty ever higher.

christina:
A month after the declaration was approved and sent around, the founders met in Philadelphia and signed a copy.

jacqui:
Putting their names on it was a very risky move.

christina:
It was high treason.

jacqui:
But Ben Franklin famously said-

archive:
We must hang together, or else most assuredly, we'll all hang separately.

christina:
The signed Declaration of Independence is now housed in the National Archives.

archive:
they are endowed by their creator-

jacqui:
25 of the originals still exist.

archive:
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

christina:
And we celebrate the Fourth of July as Independence Day.

jacqui:
With hot dogs, fireworks-

archive:
Hot dogs from us to any Independence Day party, but when I saw these hot dogs decorated like firecrackers, I knew I had to recreate them...

jacqui:
Sales.

archive:
This fourth, declare independence from the megastores and keep it local at JNR. We have an incredible array of deals with personal...

computer:
This episode was produced by Jacqui Fulton, Hannah McCarthy.Nick CApodice with help from Christina Phillips. Erica Janik is the big boss music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.

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Automatically convert your mp3 files to text (txt file), Microsoft Word (docx file), and SubRip Subtitle (srt file) in minutes.

Sonix has many features that you'd love including collaboration tools, world-class support, share transcripts, automated translation, and easily transcribe your Zoom meetings. Try Sonix for free today.