In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, in honor of Constitution Day on September 17, the day the United States commemorates the signing of the United States Constitution, we speak with two historians – Jonathan Gienapp, an Associate Professor of History and Associate Professor of Law at Stanford University and Rachel Shelden, Director of the Richard Civil War Era Center and an Associate Professor of History at Penn State University – about early American political culture and political civility in the early American republic.
The Constitution is a document of “We the People.” The ways Americans have supported, debated, and interpreted the Constitution since 1787 have played a vital role in the rise of politics and political parties within the United States.
What kind of political culture did the United States Constitution and its interpretations help establish? What were the expectations, practices, and cultural norms early Americans had to follow when debating the Constitution or its interpretation in the early American republic?
As we untangle the many rules of political culture and civility, Gienapp and Shelden help us understand why these rules existed, why they were and weren’t followed, and how they structured even everyday interactions between Americans. Furthermore, we explore how these rules influenced political participation and politics itself in the nation.
You can listen to the podcast here.
Ben Franklin’s World is an award-winning podcast. It’s for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our world. Each episode features an interview with a historian who shares their unique insights into our early American past. It is a production of Colonial Williamsburg Innovation Studios.
For a full list of New York Almanack podcast announcements click HERE.
Illustration: A cartoon about early American political culture (Met Museum).
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