Give Me Liberty: The Making of American Exceptionalism

Can 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.

In 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.

In 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.

Slavery — 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.

Long 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.