The American Founding with Jay Cost

Episode 4: What's So Bad about the Articles of Confederation?

This episode will look at "America's Mulligan," the Articles of Confederation. The first system of government in the United States, the Articles lasted from 1777 until 1789. They are largely remembered as a failure. Yet in creating this system of government, the Americans were drawing upon the lessons of history and theory. 

Episode 3: English Liberty in America

This episode explores the English tradition of political liberty in colonial America. Drawing on hundreds of years of English experiences, the Americans expected a government of limits, which respected the civil rights and property rights of its subjects. When George III and the English Parliament began violating those rights, colonial Americans began their revolution. 

Episode 2: Republicanism in America

This episode explores why the United States in 1776 well uniquely suited to a republican form of government. Freed from the constraints of European medievalism, the Americans were free to create a society more egalitarian than any the western world had seen. 

Episode 1: Why the Founding Matters

In this inaugural episode of the American Founding with Jay Cost, Dr. Cost argues that the American Founding remains of continuing importance. Those of us who defend the Constitution against those seeking radical change need to understand what the arguments the Founders made in defense of the institutions they created.