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.
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60-Second Civics: Episode 2902, Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a step in the right direction, but it did not protect voting rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2890, Making It Easier to Vote According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 21 states now allow some form of electronic voting.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2883, Service Organizations and NGOs You've heard of Kiwanis, Jaycees, and Lions Clubs, but what do these organizations do? Find out on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2882, Religious and Social Organizations Learn how religious and social organizations contribute to civic life on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2878, Responsibilities Shared by Citizens and Noncitizens Everyone who lives in the United States, both citizens and noncitizens, have certain responsibilities.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2877, Noncitizen Voting Should legal permanent residents be allowed to vote? On this podcast, we look at both sides of the issue.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2872, Controversy Surrounding Dual Citizenship On today's podcast, we explore arguments for and against dual national citizenship.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2868, Vacillating Policy Toward Indian Tribes The United States vacillated between respecting Native American sovereignty and seeking to dismantle tribal governments.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2865, Citizenship and the Founders One of the primary goals of Framers like James Madison was that Americans felt loyalty to the United States, not just their individual states.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2864, Citizenship in Early America Americans originally thought of themselves as citizens only of their states, not of the United States as whole.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2862, Alexis de Tocqueville Today we learn how Alexis de Tocqueville thought Americans had reconciled self-interest with civic participation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2859, Civic Virtue and Self-Interest The Founders stressed the importance of religion and education in reconciling the need for both civic virtue and self-interest.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2858, Natural Rights Philosophy and Citizenship Today we explore how natural rights philosophy influenced America's Founders.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2857, Citizenship and the Common Good Early on, Americans experienced their interdependence and their need to work for the common good.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2852, Jury Verdicts and Representation In England, verdicts in criminal cases had to be unanimous. That changed when English law was adapted by Americans.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2843, Protecting Rights Before Trial The Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments protect people accused of crimes between arrest and trial.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2838, James Madison and Self-Incrimination James Madison originally wanted the protections of the self-incrimination clause to be more expansive.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2833, Alternatives to the Exclusionary Rule Today we explore three suggestions for dealing with police misconduct that avoids losing valuable evidence in court.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2830, The Exclusionary Rule The 1914 Supreme Court case Weeks v. United States established the very important "exclusionary rule" that determines how evidence is used in court.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2829, Exceptions to the Warrant Requirement Though required in most cases, there are specific circumstances in which a warrant is not necessary.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2828, Probable Cause Probable cause, which must be proven to obtain a warrant, is required to meet a specific set of criteria.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2827, Unreasonable Searches and Seizures A protection against unreasonable searches and seizures is necessary for a free society.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2826, Fourth Amendment and Technology New advances in technology are constantly changing the way we understand our right to privacy.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2825, Privacy The Fourth Amendment does not make specific claims about privacy, but America has evolved to uphold certain standards.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2823, Search and Seizure John Adams and the Massachusetts Constitution of 1780 helped shape the right to privacy we know today.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2822, John Adams and James Otis John Adams helped lawyer James Otis rise to public prominence and become a figure of the American Revolution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2821, James Otis Fights General Warrants In 1761, Colonial lawyer James Otis attempted to fight parliament's request for a new general warrant.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2820, General Warrants and the American Revolution The British government's use of general warrants on the American colonies was part of the spark leading to the American Revolution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2819, General Warrants in the Colonies Though general warrants were illegal under British common law, that didn't stop Parliament from implementing them in the colonies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2818, A Man???s Home Is His Castle The English common law observance of the right to privacy in one's home created the phrase "a man's home is his castle."
60-Second Civics: Episode 2817, Freedom of Association and American Citizenship Scholar Alexis de Tocqueville had many keen observations about the implications of the right to assemble on American society.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2816, Discrimination and Government Interference If an organization meets certain criteria, it must follow government anti-discrimination laws.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2815, The Right to Associate The right to associate, while not explicitly stated in the Constitution, has evolved through court precedence.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2814, Time, Place, and Manner Restrictions Court precedence has determined that the right to assemble may be limited if certain time, place, and manner conditions are met.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2813, Civil Rights Movements and Assembly The civil rights movement of the mid-twentieth century is an example of a group successfully petitioning the government.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2812, Women and the Right to Petition Throughout United States history, women have petitioned the government for a variety of purposes.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2811, Silencing Critics Several times in the past, the government has silenced petitioners. The treatment of Bonus Army is one example of this.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2810, The Gag Rule and Slavery In the 1800's, the American political system enacted something known as a "gag rule" in order to maintain slavery in the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2807, The Importance of the Rights to Assemble and Petition The right to petition was a fundamental building block of the early United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2806, The Rights to Petition and Associate The right to associate, while not mentioned in the First Amendment, has evolved through Supreme Court cases.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2805, Freedom of Assembly The right of a group to assemble is protected by the First Amendment and helps create governmental change.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2804, The Rights to Assemble, Petition, and Associate These elements of the First Amendment allow citizens to hold the government accountable for their policies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2802, More Limitations on the Power to Restrict Speech In order for the government to fairly regulate free speech, they must observe certain ethical guidelines.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2801, Limitations on the Power to Restrict Speech Though the government can regulate certain kinds of speech, there are limitations on just how far those regulations can go.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2799, More Exceptions to Free Speech These continued restrictions to free speech include obscenity laws, as well as time, place, and manner restrictions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2798, Exceptions to Free Speech Libel, defamation, and incitement to crime are all forms of speech not protected by the First Amendment.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2797, Limitations to Free Speech The freedom of speech does have its limits, and many feel certain restrictions are necessary.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2793, A Free Press in the Early Republic The First Amendment was created in part to help ease fears that the government would manipulate the press.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2789, Benefits of Freedom of Expression, Part 2 In addition to promoting individual liberties, the freedom of expression helps boost representative government.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2785, Justice O'Connor on Free Exercise The Supreme Court case Rosenberger v. University of Virginia helped establish the idea of "bedrock principles."
60-Second Civics: Episode 2784, Two Cases Test the Free Exercise Clause These two Supreme Court cases helped establish the bounds of the free exercise clause.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2783, Testing Whether a Law Violates the Free Exercise Clause In order to determine if a law is in violation of the free exercise clause, the courts must ask themselves certain questions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2782, Limiting Free Exercise of Religion In certain cases, the court will find it necessary to interfere with the free exercise of religion.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2781, The Free Exercise Clause The free exercise clause is another element of the First Amendment that protects religious freedoms.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2779, Interpreting the Establishment Clause People hold differing views about what rights the establishment clause gives and takes away.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2778, The Establishment Clause How this important piece of the Constitution came to be, and how it has been interpreted over time.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2775, Religious Conflicts in Europe Before the United States was founded, religious turmoil in Europe paved a path for a religiously free nation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2774, Ignorance of the Bill of Rights A 1991 survey of Americans revealed that not many know about the history and significance of the Bill of Rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2772, The Constitution As a Bill of Rights In addition to amendments, the Constitution itself was written to protect certain freedoms.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2764, Limitations on Government in the Virginia Declaration of Rights The Virginia Declaration of Rights was a trailblazing document that informed our Bill of Rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2762, Ordinary Legislation vs. a Bill of Rights The English Bill of Rights of 1689 is important for understanding the evolution of bills of rights in the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2761, Early Documents That Established Rights Before the U.S. Bill of Rights, there were a few other documents that helped pave the way for the protection of individual liberties.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2760, The Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments These final pieces of the Bill of Rights deal with crime, punishment, and states rights.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2757, The First Three Amendments These three Constitutional amendments protect some of our most fundamental rights as citizens.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2753, Ballot Initiatives Initiative, referendum, recall are a trio of methods, begun during the Progressive era of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which allow citizens to participate in direct democracy in their states.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2750, How the Depression Changed Government The Great Depression changed the relationship between the federal government and state governments.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2747, Regulation of Commerce Regulation of commerce cases demonstrate the kinds of issues that are common in America's system of shared governmental authority.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2746, State Constitutional Amendments State constitutional amendments often reflect state responses to policy debates occurring throughout the United States.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2745, State Constitutions Since the first state constitutions were adopted in 1776, state constitutional conventions have resulted in new constitutions being adopted some 144 times.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2743, Municipal Governments There are three broad categories of local governments in the United States: Counties, municipalities, and special districts.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2742, County Governments State constitutions give legislatures power to create local governments, which receive charters, or grants of authority, to carry out a wide range of governmental responsibilities.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2741, Lieutenant Governors Lieutenant governors have been considered the fifth wheel of American politics. In reality, they have important responsibilities.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2740, State Executive and Legislative Branches Learn about the executive and legislative branches of state government on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2728, Presidents and Enforcement of Supreme Court Decisions Sometimes, presidents balk at having to enforce Supreme Court decisions.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2727, Presidential Influence Over the Supreme Court How do Supreme Court justices get nominated? Find out on today's episode.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2726, Limits on the Power of the Supreme Court Are there limits on the power of the Supreme Court? We find out on today's podcast.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2725, Fundamental Principles and Modernism Today we look at the fundamental principles and modernism approaches to constitutional interpretation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2724, Strict Construction and Original Intent Today we examine the strict construction and original intent methods of constitutional interpretation.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2718, Federal Courts Today we present a one-minute overview the powers of federal courts under Article III of the Constitution.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2716, Courts and Federalism Check Administrative Agencies The courts and our federal system check the power of administrative agencies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2715, Congressional Oversight of Administrative Agencies The president has appointment powers, but Congress has the power to oversee administrative agencies.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2713, Patronage vs. Civil Service In general, public employees can't be fired for refusing to support the political party in power.
60-Second Civics: Episode 2708, Expanding and Contracting Bureaucracy Sometimes, the bureaucracy shrinks. Learn about the expanding and shrinking of federal agencies on today's podcast.
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