Episode 4: The National Birth Certificate

01/27/20 • 34 min

Give Me Liberty: The Making of American Exceptionalism

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.

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Episode 3: Liberty to Criticize Our Rulers

The 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.

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Episode 5: These Our Brethren

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.