The American Idea – Details, episodes & analysis

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The American Idea

Ashbrook Center

Education

History

Frequency: 1 episode/12d. Total Eps: 244

The American Idea explores America's history and principles and what they mean today. The podcast is a production of the Ashbrook Center and hosted by Dr. Jeff Sikkenga.

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Data updated on 14/09/2026

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🇺🇸 USA - Education
14/09/2026
#71

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https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
64 shares
https://podvine.com/podcast/the-american-idea
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https://www.lindsaychervinsky.com/
4 shares

https://www.facebook.com/ashbrookcenter/
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Score global : 62%

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The Last Adieu: Lafayette and Early America

Season 7 · Episode 6

Wednesday, September 9, 2026 • Duration 39:54

The Marquis de Lafayette came to America at age 19, on his own dime, to earn glory on the battlefield. He quickly became one of the Revolution’s greatest believers, and spent the rest of his life admiring the spirit and goals of the American Revolution and the republic it birthed.

Author Ryan Cole joins us this week to discuss his book, The Last Adieu, which chronicles Lafayette’s tour of America 40 years after the Revolution. Visiting every state, and meeting with surviving veterans and leaders, along with the next generation of prominent Americans, his experience gave him a unique perspective on the country he helped create.

Read Ryan’s book: https://a.co/d/0fTFmzET

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

Thank you for being part of The American Idea community.

Follow on Twitter https://x.com/amideapodcast

Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ashbrookcenter/

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Completing the Founding: The Northwest Ordinance of 1787

Season 7 · Episode 5

Wednesday, August 26, 2026 • Duration 47:42

Written while the Constitutional Convention was taking place in 1787, the Northwest Ordinance was adopted fully by the new government, despite being a production of the Articles of Confederation. It also laid the foundation for many of the Founders’ priorities and aspirations in terms of governance, land usage, economics, and slavery. How would the new, expanding America look, and what would it be like? The Northwest Ordinance is an essential enabler for the America that came on the heals of the Revolution.

Jeff is joined by historian Peter Onuf to discuss this essential, yet largely overlooked, document.

Read the document: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/the-northwest-ordinance/

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

Thank you for being part of The American Idea community.

Follow on Twitter https://x.com/amideapodcast

Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ashbrookcenter/

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Fact or Fiction? Historians Discuss Young Washington

Season 7

Wednesday, August 19, 2026 • Duration 36:12

Young Washington purports to tell the story of George Washington’s early life, and the choices, situations, and actions that defined him as a young man, and in the eyes of his countrymen. But how accurate is it, and considering how many people seem to get their history from films, what should we know about this movie when thinking about the story it tells?

Presidential historian Stephen Knott worked as an advisor for the movie, and sits down with Dr. Cara Rogers Stevens to discuss what’s fact, where the film took creative license, and how challenging it is to make a good historical film.

Read David Hackett Fischer’s book, as suggested by Steve: https://a.co/d/05GDbgbO

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

Thank you for being part of The American Idea community.

Follow on Twitter https://x.com/amideapodcast

Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ashbrookcenter/

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America's First Citizen: Character Lessons from George Washington

Season 7 · Episode 4

Wednesday, August 12, 2026 • Duration 35:50

First in war, first in peace, and traditionally first in the hearts of Americans - what can we learn from Washington, the man? What made him the person around whom history seemed to turn, and why is his character worth studying and, in many ways, emulating? Professor Stephen Knott, noted presidential historian, discusses Washington, the man, and three key moments in his life when his decisions and integrity shifted the arc of history.

Read David Hackett Fischer’s book, recommended by Steve: https://a.co/d/05GDbgbO

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

Thank you for being part of The American Idea community.

Follow on Twitter https://x.com/amideapodcast

Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ashbrookcenter/

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Why Did the Founders Create a Republic?

Season 7 · Episode 3

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 • Duration 39:42

America is often called a democracy, sometimes a democratic republic, and probably less-often a republic. But to be precise, the American system of constitutional government, first in the original 13 states, then in the general government, and since 1787, consists of a series of republics. Each state is a republic, and the national (or general, or federal) government is, as well.

But what exactly is a republic, and does it matter? What is republican (little R) government, and what did the Founders see in it that was superior to a democracy? What qualities did they see in their fellow Americans, and hope to see in their progeny - us?

Professor of Political Science Jim Stoner, of Louisiana State University, discusses the difference between a republic and a democracy, and how the Founders understood republicanism as both a system and a set of civic values.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

Thank you for being part of The American Idea community.

Follow on Twitter https://x.com/amideapodcast

Follow on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ashbrookcenter/

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A Sober View of Human Nature: Federalist 10 and Factions

Season 7 · Episode 2

Wednesday, July 15, 2026 • Duration 41:42

In Federalist 10, James Madison identified what he saw as one of the greatest dangers to popular government: factions. How did he define and understand them? Does his definition and his argument still stand up today? How can, by understanding the view on this issue at the Founding, better understand our current politics?

Read Federalist 10: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/federalist-no-10-3/

Read Madison’s “Consolidation”: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/consolidation/

Read Madison’s “A Candid State of Parties”: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/a-candid-state-of-parties-2/

Read Joe’s article on political parties: https://www.heritage.org/political-process/report/the-rise-and-fall-political-parties-america

Find American Covenant on Amazon: https://a.co/d/00voBuXV

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

Thank you for being part of The American Idea community.

Click to learn about how we're planning for America's 250th birthday! https://www.ashbrookfreedom250.org/

More than a Document: Living the Declaration of Independence

Season 7 · Episode 1

Wednesday, July 1, 2026 • Duration 41:12

The ideals, values, and aspirations in the Declaration of Independence aren’t just the words of an old document - they’re a statement of political and public faith in how we should see one another and how we should conduct ourselves as a political body.

In preparation for America’s 250th birthday, don’t just focus on the years and accomplishments - get in touch with the ideas that underpin them, and consider how you can live out the Declaration of Independence, and encourage others, as well, so that we can bequeath another 250 years of freedom to the generations that follow us.

Read the Declaration of Independence: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/declaration-of-independence/

Read Calvin Coolidge's speech about the DI: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/speech-on-the-occasion-of-the-one-hundred-and-fiftieth-anniversary-of-the-declaration-of-independence/

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

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Our Right to Privacy and the 4th Amendment

Season 6 · Episode 25

Wednesday, June 24, 2026 • Duration 45:00

Our 4th Amendment rights to privacy, in various forms, has its origins before the Declaration of Independence, and is at the foundation of Americans’ understanding of natural rights. In this episode, Dr. Cara Rogers-Stevens discusses the importance and evolution of our privacy rights, and how they set us apart from so many other peoples in the world.

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

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Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations at 250 Years

Season 6 · Episode 24

Wednesday, June 17, 2026 • Duration 49:44

Adam Smith’s “Wealth of Nations” was published in 1776, shortly before America’s Declaration of Independence. Smith famously described an “invisible hand” at work behind markets and exchanges, but what did he really mean, and how have so many people misunderstood his many ideas about trade, markets, and free enterprise?

Professor Brianne Wolf discusses Smith in surprising terms: he was first concerned with human morality and behavior, in the connections and community that individuals built with one another. Trade and economics were downstream of those fundamentals. Beyond that, Smith’s explanation of the advantages of markets over central planning or forced commerce are not well-known today - despite their relevance in the face of arguments in favor of government control of economic behavior.

Would you like to give us some feedback about this episode? Go to this short survey: https://tinyurl.com/ym6zktkk

Read Bri's article on Smith: https://tinyurl.com/5yuwsc9b

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

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Returning to First Principles: America's Machiavellian Moment?

Season 6 · Episode 23

Wednesday, June 10, 2026 • Duration 37:55

Niccolo Machiavelli, is usually cast as something of a villain for supposedly promoting cut-throat politics. Regarded as the father of modern political theory and science, however, among his many ideas was that when regimes - governments - slip into a state of decline, a return to first principles was necessary to save them. Turning back to the ideas that were most pure at a founding was, he believed, essential to revive a country that had lost its way.

Is America at such a point today? Political theorist, commentator, and author Jay Cost believes we are, and discusses what a “Machiavellian Moment” is, and why America, especially as we approach our 250th birthday, is in need of one.

Read his article: https://tinyurl.com/3ytfx3fb

Host: Jeff Sikkenga

Executive Producer: Jeremy Gypton

Subscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea

Homepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/

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The American Idea – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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The American Idea – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other92

Amazon19

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RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other92

Amazon19

Facebook1