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founding fathers

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Arts Oct 20

Lynne Cheney on American presidents of ‘The Virginia Dynasty’

By Judy Woodruff, Stephanie Kotuby

Politics Oct 15

Watch 6:13
Why the founders let Congress define impeachment-worthy crimes

The power to impeach a federal official such as the president has been exercised rarely in American history, and U.S. Constitution mentions the word only a handful of times. What were the founders thinking when they included that power, and…

Nation Jul 03

Declaration of Independence, an 1819 painting by John Trumbull depicting the Committee of Five presenting their draft to the Congress on June 28, 1776.
How America’s Founding Fathers felt about tariffs

There was plenty of trade during the Colonial period. But none of it was free.

By Jeffrey Kucik, University of Arizona

Politics Aug 16

Virginia State Troopers stand under a statue of Robert E. Lee before a white supremacists rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S., August 12, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RTS1BI7E
Historians say Trump went afoul in lumping Robert E. Lee with founding fathers

Is it really so far-fetched to put Robert E. Lee in the same category as George Washington, as President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday? Many historians say yes.

By Associated Press

Politics Nov 08

Watch
What makes the 2016 election unique in history

Has there ever been an election like 2016? What would the founding fathers think of the candidates? Judy Woodruff and Hari Sreenivasan speak with presidential historian Michael Beschloss to get some historical perspective.

By PBS News Hour

Aug 16

Watch 5:57
The origin of ‘white trash,’ and why class is still an issue in the U.S.

By PBS News Hour

In “White Trash,” Nancy Isenberg delves into the history of class in America, starting with British colonization. At that time, America was seen as a wasteland -- a place to discard the idle poor. The agrarian communities they subsequently formed…

Continue watching

Sep 17

Quiz: How much do you know about the U.S. Constitution?

By Lisa Desjardins

Happy Constitution Day everyone! To celebrate this day cherished by lovers of American law, we bring you a short quiz to test your knowledge of the nation's founding and of potential changes on deck for the Constitution today.

Continue reading

Jul 04

What you should know about forgotten founding father John Jay

By Associated Press

The inner circle of founders has been set for as long as anyone can remember - Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Franklin, Hamilton and Madison. Almost never mentioned is John Jay.

Continue reading

Jul 03

Watch 5:10
A ‘quartet’ of patriots who brought the United States together

By PBS News Hour

Although it seems inevitable now that after the Revolutionary War, the former colonies would band together to form a nation, at the time, it was far from a foregone conclusion. In his new book, “The Quartet”, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph…

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Jul 03

Watch
Finding empowerment in the words of our founding fathers

By PBS News Hour

We have lost something in our reading of the Declaration of Independence. This is the argument of Danielle Allen’s new book, “Our Declaration,” where she explores the document through a careful look at the words themselves. Jeffrey Brown talks to…

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Full Episode
Wednesday, Sep 17
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