About the Podcast: 60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation’s history and government.
Get Involved: Join the conversation about each episode on Twitter. Or you can contact the show by emailing Mark Gage. Let me know what you think!
You Can Help: 60-Second Civics is supported by private donations. You can help keep the podcasts coming by donating, buying an ebook, or by writing a nice review in iTunes to help others discover the show. We love our listeners. You are the reason we created the podcast. Thank you for your kind support!
Music: The theme music for 60-Second Civics is provided by Cheryl B. Engelhardt. You can find her online at cbemusic.com. The song featured on the podcast is Cheryl B. Engelhardt's "Complacent," which you purchase on iTunes, along with all of Cheryl's music.
Looking for a particular episode? Search by keyword here:
60-Second Civics: Episode 3520, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Wilson (rebroadcast) Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Wilson each contributed to the growth of presidential power.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3519, Jefferson and the Use of Presidential Power (rebroadcast) Thomas Jefferson sought to be a model of republican simplicity.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3518, The Rise of Presidential Power (rebroadcast) Some scholars trace the rise of the powerful modern presidency to Andrew Jackson.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3517, A Strong President, But Not Too Strong (rebroadcast) The Framers of the Constitution wanted the president to be strong, but not too strong
60-Second Civics: Episode 3516, Above Partisan Politics (rebroadcast) The Framers of the Constitution expected presidents to be above partisan bickering. It didn't work out that way.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3514, Presidential Power and the Courts (rebroadcast) Today we learn about Supreme Court Justice Robert Jackson's opinion in Youngstown Sheet vs. Sawyer.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3511, Impeachment (rebroadcast) Any member of the House can initiate impeachment proceedings, but two-thirds of the Senate is required for removal from office.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3510, Investigations and the Balance of Power (rebroadcast) Congress uses its powers of investigation most frequently when the majority are of a different party than the president.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3508, The Authority of Congress to Conduct Investigations (rebroadcast) Even though it's not mentioned in the Constitution, Congress has the authority to carry out investigations.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3505, The Executive Branch as a Source for Laws (rebroadcast) The president has the constitutional authority to recommend measures for congressional consideration.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3504, Ideas for Legislation (rebroadcast) There is no shortage of sources of ideas for legislation available to members of Congress.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3503, Congress and Individual Rights (rebroadcast) Today we learn about the role of Congress in protecting individual rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3501, Lawmaking, Part 4: Conference committees and the veto (rebroadcast) What happens when the House and Senate versions differ? Find out on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3500, Lawmaking, Part 3: The committee vote (rebroadcast) What happens when a bill is passed by one chamber of Congress? Find out on today's episode.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3496, President Pro Tempore (rebroadcast) Today we learn about the president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority whip of the House.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3494, Office of Speaker in England and America (rebroadcast) Today we contrast the speaker of the House of Commons with that of the House of Representatives.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3489, Rules for House Committees (rebroadcast) Rules, rules, rules. Your mom has them, your school has them, even the House of Representatives has them.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3488, The purpose of congressional committees (rebroadcast) The careful, deliberative work of Congress often occurs during committee meetings.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3487, Congressional committees (rebroadcast) Today we start our series on how Congress performs its functions in the American constitutional system.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3485, Communication with constituents (rebroadcast) On today's episode, we learn about how members of Congress communicate with their constituents.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3484, Delegate vs. trustee theory of representation (rebroadcast) Today on the podcast: the delegate vs. trustee theory of representation
60-Second Civics: Episode 3483, The size of Congress How large is the U.S. Congress compared to other national legislatures? Find out on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3479, Legislative districts What can you do if you don't like the way your congressional district is drawn? Find out on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3477, Inherent powers The power to conduct investigations and compel testimony goes back to Parliament and the colonial legislatures.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3476, Enforcement powers The enforcement powers of Congress have been used to enact sweeping civil rights, voting rights, and voting laws.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3469, How the Framers limited the power of Congress The Framers of the Constitution mistrusted concentrations of power in government, so they sought to limit the power of Congress.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3467, Lengths of terms of parliamentarians and members of Congress Elections to the UK Parliament can occur at irregular intervals, but members of Congress are elected at regular intervals.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3465, Parliamentary government prohibited The Constitution forbids establishment of a parliamentary system for the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3461, The Townshend Acts On today's podcast, we learn about the Townshend Acts, and the response to these laws by the Daughters of Liberty.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3460, The Stamp Act Congress The Stamp Act Congress affirmed the colonists' desire that "no taxes be imposed on them ... but with their own consent."
60-Second Civics: Episode 3459, The Sons of Liberty On today's podcast, we learn about the surprising source of inspiration for the Sons of Liberty: an Anglo-Irish member of Parliament.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3458, The Stamp and Quartering Acts On today's podcast, we learn more about the Stamp and Quartering Acts, and why the colonists objected to them.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3456, The Sugar Act The Sugar Act hurt the rum industry in the American colonies, stirring up more colonial resentment of British taxation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3455, The Proclamation of 1763 Rankles Colonists Britain's Proclamation of 1763 was the first in a series of actions that angered American colonists, ultimately leading the Revolutionary War.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3454, Salutary Neglect Is Abandoned, Causing Discontent in America After the Seven Years War, Britain abandoned its policy of "salutary neglect." This was not popular in America.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3453, Supreme Court Decisions about the General Welfare Clause Even today, Americans disagree over the spending powers of Congress.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3452, Controversy over the General Welfare Clause The Federalists and Anti-Federalists clashed over the interpretation of the general welfare clause.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3451, The Meaning of the "General Welfare" What does the general welfare clause of the Constitution mean? Today we provide some answers.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3449, Farmers Demand Relief from Debt after the Revolution Farmers faced increasing debts after the American Revolution. Land was confiscated and farmers faced prison for failing to pay their debts. This led to social disorder.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3448, Social Disorder After the Revolutionary War (rebroadcast) Decreased demand for agricultural products caused social disorder in the early American republic.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3443, Pursuing Happiness As an Inalienable Right According to the Declaration of Independence, you have the right to pursue happiness. No one can take that away from you.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3442, What the "Pursuit of Happiness" Is Today we further explore concept of the "pursuit of happiness" and learn how to help decide what is truly in our self-interest.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3437, Equality and the American Mind On today's 60-Second Civics, we learn how the idea of universal human equality spread in the colonies and early republic.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3436, Stoicism, Christianity, and Moral Equality The idea of universal human equality traveled from Stoicism to Christianity and influenced the writers of the Declaration of Independence and the Framers of the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3435, The Intellectual Origins of Americans' Sense of Political Equality On today's podcast, we learn about some of the intellectual influences behind Americans' sense of political quality.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3432, Why Americans Held "These Truths to Be Self-Evident" On today's podcast, we learn how Americans thought about their rights at the time of independence.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3431, The Meaning of "Self-Evident Truths" in the Declaration On today's podcast, we learn about some of the "self-evident truths" contained in the Declaration of Independence.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3430, Americans' Fundamental Ideals, Values, and Principles Today on the podcast, we learn about the Declaration of Independence and Constitution as sources of Americans' fundamental political ideals, values, and principles.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3429, Elections in Colonial America and the Early Republic On today's podcast, we explore the ways elections were conducted during the early years of the republic and the colonial era.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3428, Qualifying to Vote in Early America The qualifications to vote might sound strange to us now, but they made sense to colonial Americans.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3422, Slavery in Colonial America In the American colonies, a large portion of the population was slaves who were brought against their will.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3420, The Southern Colonies Today's episode features the Southern Colonies, highlighting their differences from the Northern and Middle Colonies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3419, The Middle Colonies Today we discover the Middle Colonies, which were more culturally diverse and cosmopolitan than the New England colonies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3418, The New England Colonies On today's episode, we explore the New England colonies, which were rich in natural resources and were in some cases founded by people fleeing religious persecution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3412, Early Settlement of North America In this episode of 60-Second Civics, we discuss early European settlement of North America and explore Cahokia, a large and culturally important Native American settlement in what is today Southern Illinois.
60-Second Civics: Episode 3355, Why Aristotle Wasn't a Fan of Direct Democracy The past taught Aristotle that direct democracy wasn't the best form of government, at least for ancient Greeks.
This site is brought to you by the Center for Civic Education. The Center's mission is to promote an enlightened and responsible citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. The Center has reached more than 30 million students and their teachers since 1965. Learn more.
Center for Civic Education
5115 Douglas Fir Road, Suite J Calabasas, CA 91302
We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies. Read more about our Privacy Policy.
