Give Me Liberty: The Making of American Exceptionalism
13 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago -Historian Richard Brookhiser joins constitutional scholar Luke Thompson to examine thirteen historical documents and recount their role in the development of liberty.
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Episodes
Episode 13: Across Europe This Wall Will Fall
March 30, 2020 10:00 - 28 minutes - 26.5 MBThe late 1980s saw a new kind of threat to liberty — one that infected sovereign nations far and wide. In one of the most famous speeches delivered by Ronald Reagan, he issued a rallying cry for liberty, exclaiming “tear down this wall!” In the final episode, Rick and Luke reflect on the everlasting power behind the words of Ronald Reagan as he worked to defeat one of the world’s most evil forces — socialism — in the name of liberty.
Episode 12: The Great Arsenal of Democracy
March 23, 2020 10:00 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBAround the time of World War II, the United States once again faced the question of what it means to be a force of power on the world stage and preserve liberty both at home and abroad. In this episode, Rick and Luke explore how Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fireside chat “The Arsenal of Democracy” combined the necessity for both national security and the safety of liberty.
Episode 11: The Practical Meaning of Economic Equality
March 16, 2020 10:00 - 33 minutes - 30.6 MBFamously proclaiming that we “shall not crucify mankind on a cross of gold,” William Jennings Bryan delivered a plea for the coinage of silver, which he believed would help combat the rampant economic inequality of the late 19th century. Rick and Luke examine how one of the most famous pieces of American political oratory changed the meaning of economic equality.
Episode 10: The Mother of Exiles
March 09, 2020 10:00 - 31 minutes - 29.5 MBA famous sonnet written to raise money for the construction of a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty, Rick and Luke discuss how “The New Colossus” set out the symbolism and impact of the Statue of Liberty for generations. Even today, Liberty Enlightening the World exists as a symbol of the uniquely American idea of liberty and represents refuge to those suffering around the world.
Episode 9: Abraham Lincoln Goes Back to Basics
March 02, 2020 11:00 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBAs Abraham Lincoln said in his famous Gettysburg Address, the United States of America was conceived in liberty. By the time the Civil War broke out, most of the country’s population had abandoned these long sought-after principles. In this episode, Rick and Luke reveal how Abraham Lincoln revived the foundation of a nation torn apart by war.
Episode 8: Letting Them Vote
February 24, 2020 11:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBCan liberty ever fully exist when half of the country’s population is disenfranchised? In 1848, The Declaration of the Seneca Falls Convention, using the model of the Declaration of Independence, demanded the rights of women be respected in society. Rick and Luke examine how the 100 signatories changed the course of events to bring the principles of liberty to all Americans.
Episode 7: Movements in This Hemisphere
February 17, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 29.3 MBIn the early 1800s, there was a struggle for liberty across the world. In his annual message delivered to Congress, later known as the Monroe Doctrine, James Monroe delivered perhaps one of the best known declarations of foreign policy towards Europeans nations. Rick and special guest Jay Nordlinger narrate the background of Monroe’s observation of liberty abroad and his bold stance for the preservation of American freedom when dealing with foreign nations.
Episode 6: Secure the Blessings of Liberty
February 10, 2020 11:00 - 32 minutes - 30.2 MBIn 1787, the Founding Fathers signed the most influential document in American history. Right next to the Declaration of Independence, the United States Constitution guarantees the “blessings of liberty” to Americans of all backgrounds. In this episode, Rick and Luke discuss how the signing of the Constitution changed the course of liberty forever.
Episode 5: These Our Brethren
February 03, 2020 11:00 - 35 minutes - 33.1 MBSlavery — a prevalent force in early American ideas. How did the idea of slave holding intersect with the evolving principles of liberty? Rick and Luke dive into the case study of the Constitution of the New York Manumission Society and examine how these ideas impacted each other, both as a matter of practical politics and the demands of conscience.
Episode 4: The National Birth Certificate
January 27, 2020 11:00 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBLong before it was ever written, the principle of liberty existed in the heart of Americans. In 1776, dozens of men famously declared that all men are endowed with “certain unalienable rights” in the Declaration of Independence. Rick and Luke celebrate this cornerstone of American history and recount the ways in which it guaranteed the principles of liberty to Americans for generations to come.
Episode 3: Liberty to Criticize Our Rulers
January 20, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 28.9 MBThe freedom of expression is a core component of liberty. Now a well-known symbol for freedom of the press, John Peter Zenger shaped American history when he was famously acquitted in a libel suit. In this episode, Rick and Luke dig into one of the first cases of upholding freedom of the press.
Episode 2: Religious Liberty Begins in Queens
January 13, 2020 11:00 - 27 minutes - 25.3 MBFor years, individuals far and wide have traveled to the United States of America to escape religious persecution. A freedom that is uniquely American, religious freedom has come to be known as a cornerstone of liberty. Rick and Luke recall the story of how some thirty residents of a small settlement embodied the principle of religious liberty in the Flushing Remonstrance.
Episode 1: The First General Assembly
January 03, 2020 11:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBSelf-rule: the great gift of Jamestown to the American experiment. Jamestown is not what we would call a free society, yet it was crucial in forming our American understanding of the principle of self-governance. Driven out of necessity, members of the colony embraced the influence of common law and parliamentary rule to create the first-ever example of a mixed government system in the western world — and more importantly, the first ever example of self-rule.