Show overview
The American Idea has been publishing since 2021, and across the 5 years since has built a catalogue of 231 episodes, alongside 4 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 160 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence, with the show now in its 6th season.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 37 min and 48 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 days ago, with 19 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2023, with 55 episodes published. Published by Ashbrook Center.
From the publisher
The American Idea explores America's Founding principles and their effect on American history and government. Through thoughtful conversations with renowned academics and public figures from across the country, we examine the history and political thought behind our country’s greatest documents and debates, as well as contemporary issues, American popular culture, and political statesmanship. The podcast is a production of the Ashbrook Center and hosted by Jeff Sikkenga.
Latest Episodes
View all 231 episodes"Mischievous Cousins' - A British Perspective on the American Revolution
From 1776 to Civil Rights: How the Declaration Shaped the Struggle for Equality
Ronald Reagan and the Declaration of Independence
From Madison to Modern Politics: The Separation of Powers Debate
Mobilize: How to Reboot the American Industrial Base and Prevent World War III
Missouri v. Biden: Free Speech, Coercion, and Government Power
S6 Ep 13Natural Rights: The Declaration's Central Claim
What are natural rights, and why, without them, are the ideas in the Declaration of Independence empty without them?Americans talk a lot about rights, but natural rights are the foundation of them all, and all the Declaration’s assertions and ideals flow from them. Jeff discusses what they are, how they relate to government, and why the are at the core of what Jefferson called ‘the American mind.”Download the 50 Core Documents book mentioned in the episode for free: https://tinyurl.com/yckez9c3Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 12The Causes and Politics of Financial Bubbles
What is a financial bubble, and what are its causes? What are the political, as well as economic, impacts of these events? Jeff welcomes investment capital expert Aman Verjee to discuss these events, and the role they’ve played throughout history. You’ll learn not only a great deal more about what really caused the stock market crash of 1929, but how it compares to a tulip sales bubble (yes, tulips) in the Netherlands in the 1600s.Read Aman’s new book about the topic: https://www.amanverjee.com/the-bookHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 11Did FDR Threaten the Fundamental Freedoms in the Bill of Rights?
Historian David Beito joins Jeff this week to discuss the dark side of FDR: a seeming disregard for constitutional process and a lack of respect for the fundamental freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights. Long lauded as a great president, is there more to his story and impact on America?Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 10Thomas Willing: The Revolution’s Forgotten Financier
When we think of the American Revolution, we usually consider the ideas and animated the patriots and those leaders who organized and directed the war. Largely forgotten in all of this is a simple question: how was it all financed? And who did it?Thomas Willing, one of the most prominent merchants of the Middle Colonies, was at the forefront of solving the logistical and financial problems that plagued the American cause from the outset. Why, then, is he overlooked in all mainstream histories?Jeff meets with author Richard Vague to discuss Willing’s place in American Founding. You can get his book about Willing here: https://a.co/d/05py4B72Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 9What Can We Learn from the Antifederalists?
The Anti-Federalists are often overlooked in the story of America's founding, but their arguments helped shape the Constitution we live under today. In this episode of The American Idea, host Jeff Sikkenga sits down with Professor Adam Carrington of Ashland University to explore what the Anti-Federalists actually stood for, why they opposed ratification of the Constitution, and why their warnings still resonate in American political life. From fears of consolidation and judicial overreach to the "fetus of monarchy" critique of the presidency, the Anti-Federalists raised serious constitutional questions that the Federalists could not simply dismiss.Together, Jeff and Adam trace the Anti-Federalists' most lasting contribution — the Bill of Rights — and examine how their concerns about government size, the Necessary and Proper Clause, standing armies, and the gap between constitutional text and political reality continue to echo today. Whether you're a student, teacher, or engaged citizen, this conversation offers an essential and often missing perspective on the American founding.Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 8James Madison and The Federalist
James Madison was one of the two primary authors of The Federalist. What ideas did he promote through his essays? Where did he disagree with the points he argued? As we consider the American Founding and try to understand how the Founders turned goals into ideas in systems, we examine Madison’s contributions to The Federalist and what they meant over 200 years ago, and what we can learn from them now.Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 7How to Read The Federalist
The Federalist, or more broadly known as the Federalist Papers, is looked on as the definitive defense of the Constitution as written in 1787, and by that, a clear explanation of its contents and rationale. Whether it’s those things or not, how should you study them? Should you at all? If so, what do you need to know before turning to Hamilton’s Federalist 1?Chris Burkett, Professor of Political Science, joins Jeff to explain the historical and political context around this collection of essays when they were written, and how best we can read and understand them today.Read Chris's outline of The Federalist - this is a great way to conceptualize how the essays are grouped and what topics they address: https://tinyurl.com/ax3p4h5xHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 6George Washington - The Indispensable Founding Father
George Washington has been referred to as the “indispensable man,” and was looked to during and after the Revolution as the one person who could be trusted to lead the country. Why? What made him such a trusted figure then and for generations after his death? What can we learn from him today?Read his Farewell Address: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/farewell-address-5/Read “Washington’s Crossing”: https://a.co/d/16aXe2pRead: “Washington & Hamilton”: https://a.co/d/cnPC6xbHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 5Thomas Jefferson: Essential American Founder
Thomas Jefferson: “Author of the Declaration of American Independence [and] of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom & Father of the University of Virginia.”So says his tombstone, as he requested. Who was Jefferson, beyond the Declaration’s author? What were his beliefs and hopes? What else did he write and how can we better understand this essential American Founder today?Join Jeff as he discusses Jefferson with Todd Estes, Professor of History.Read “A Summary View of the Rights of British America”: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/a-summary-view-of-the-rights-of-british-america-2/Read the Rockfish Gap Report: https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Jefferson/03-13-02-0197-0006Read this excerpt from the Notes on the State of Virginia: https://tjrs.monticello.org/letter/2260Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 4Huey Long - American Populist
Huey Long of Louisiana casts a long shadow over American populist politics. Often cast as a villain or troublemaker, author Thomas Patterson offers a nuanced look at the politics and impact of this important figure in 20th Century history.Find his book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/0sS3bazHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 3Women’s Suffrage, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the Declaration of Independence
Who was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and why is she largely forgotten in popular history? How did she show that the Declaration of Independence promised women’s rights, too? Dr. Natalie Taylor, Professor Political Science at Skidmore College, discusses this fascinating American, who formed much of the intellectual foundation of the Suffrage Movement in the 19th Century.Read her Declaration of Sentiments and see how it parallels the form and substance of the Declaration of Independence: https://teachingamericanhistory.org/document/declaration-of-sentiments/Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S6 Ep 2What Makes Americans a "Declarational" People?
The Declaration of Independence is not, properly understood, a historical document. It is a statement of beliefs and principles describing the proper relationship between the individual and the state, and how the individual should view others in political matters. As such, it is not tied to a moment in time - 1776 - but should serve as the foundation of the American Idea for all time.What does that mean, and what can it mean for you? Join Jeff and Dr. Adam Seagrave as they discuss our Declaration, and how “faith, hope, and love” informed the American founding, and can guide us today.Host: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanidea
S6 Ep 1The American Revolution and the Fate of the World
Was the American Revolution just a regional rebellion on the eastern seaboard, or something far larger? Professor Richard Bell, author of The American Revolution and the Fate of the World, argues it was a geopolitical earthquake that reshaped the global order. In this episode, Bell explores how France, Spain, and the Netherlands entered the conflict for their own strategic reasons, why Jamaica mattered more to Britain than Virginia, and how foreign intervention proved decisive at battles like Yorktown. Along the way, he shares remarkable stories: Benjamin Franklin organizing his own privateering fleet from Paris, 50,000 ordinary Americans taking to the seas as state-sponsored pirates, and Harry Washington, a man enslaved at Mount Vernon who escaped to British lines and eventually led his own anti-colonial revolution in Sierra Leone. A fresh perspective on America's founding as a truly global event.Timestamps00:54 The American Revolution as a Global Conflict04:55 The British Empire and the Value of Jamaica07:27 Expanding the Patriot Coalition Beyond 13 Colonies09:44 Why France Joined the War13:21 Spain's Strategic Goals: Gibraltar and the Caribbean17:16 Dutch Financial Support and the St. Eustatius Arms Trade19:34 How Foreign Intervention Boosted British Morale24:06 From Philadelphia to Yorktown: Foreign Aid on the Battlefield27:11 Patriot Privateers and the War on British Commerce38:28 Harry Washington: From Mount Vernon to Sierra LeoneHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/
S5 Ep 532025 End of Year Message: Looking Back and Forward
Jeff Sikkenga, Professor of Political Science and Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center, shares a brief message about the reasons behind and goals of The American Idea, as well as Ashbrook’s plans to celebrate 250 years of America’s independence.Learn more at Ashbrook.org, or about our celebratory plans for 2026 at AshbrookFreedom250.orgHost: Jeff SikkengaExecutive Producer: Jeremy GyptonSubscribe: https://linktr.ee/theamericanideaHomepage: https://ashbrook.org/the-american-idea-podcast/