Michelle Ferrari, writer, producer and director for American Experience, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of the vice presidency, the 25th amendment that helped to solidify the role, and why the U.S. Constitution doesn’t offer much guidance on defining the position.
Read moreIt’s not easy being No. 2: The Presidency of John Adams
Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the second U.S. president, how he solidified many of the functions of the chief executive we still know in the 21st Century, and why that meant he would sacrifice a second term.
Read moreIs it time to rewrite the Constitution?
Erwin Chemerinsky, dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law, joins host Krys Boyd to make the case that this document – written for a low population, rural society 200-years ago – has trouble incorporating modern life into its scope, and why it might need to be rethought.
Read moreThere’s no shame in self-publishing
Author Michael Castleman joins host Krys Boyd to discuss three distinct eras of book publishing, from the first printing press to Amazon, and why today it’s fairly easy to find yourself in print — but much harder to find an audience to read it.
Read moreDid the 1860s make the Civil War inevitable?
Author Erik Larson joins guest host John McCaa to discuss the presidential election of 1860, how Southerners labeled it a “hostile act,” and the chaotic months that followed before the first bullets flew at Fort Sumpter.
Read moreLiving the Constitution’s many contradictions
Author and journalist A.J. Jacobs joins host Krys Boyd to discuss his year of following the Constitution as closely as possible.
Read moreA cultural history of UFOs
Greg Eghigian, professor of history and bioethics at Pennsylvania State University, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of America’s fascination with UFOs — an obsession that spread globally — and what it all means for our civilization back here on Earth.
Read moreCongress is not gridlocked. No really.
Despite the charged rhetoric to the contrary, there actually is work getting done in Washington.
Read moreLife, liberty and the pursuit of grievances
Frank Bruni, a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss why Americans are finding identities in grievances, why hardships have become so performative, and how we are missing out on what’s working for the country, collectively.
Read moreThe ancient inventions that made the modern world
Roma Agrawal, an engineer, author and broadcaster, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss simple inventions such as the rivet and string that we don’t think of as particularly revolutionary but which carry all the innovations of today on their shoulders.
Read moreThe grief of institutionalizing a child
Jennifer Senior, a staff writer at The Atlantic, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the story of her aunt Adele, who was sent away at age 6 because of intellectual disabilities.
Read moreWhy prisoners rarely get furloughed
Reiko Hillyer, associate professor at Lewis & Clark College, joins host Krys Boyd to discuss the history of prison furloughs in this nation.
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