Plain Civics

Send us a messageIn this second special holiday episode of Plain Civics, join host Bobbi Fisher as she tells the story of an ambitious battle plan devised by General George Washington to take place on Christmas night 1776. Up to this point in the Revolutionary War the Americans had achieved little success on the battlefield and troop morale was extremely low. Gen. Washington hoped that a surprise attack at Trenton, NJ, on unsuspecting Hessian soldiers might give the American soldiers the boost in morale that they needed to continue fighting for the cause. Listen and learn about Washington’s bold plan and how it turned out.Joe Ulery has this episode off and both of us will return on January 15 with the first episode of Season 2 of Plain Civics…another “Say What” episode where we clear up five more misconceptions about our government.Support the show

Send us a messageThe holiday season slows the country down — but civics doesn’t stop.In this special episode of Plain Civics, Joe Ulery looks at how holidays fit into American civic life. From early debates over Christmas in colonial America to Congress making it a federal holiday, from George Washington’s Christmas-night gamble to how government continues operating during the holidays today.This episode focuses on history, constitutional context, and civic reality — not politics of the moment. It’s a calm, fact-based look at how shared traditions, public service, and democratic institutions intersect during the holiday season.Bobbi Fisher has the day off. She’ll return next episode.Support the show

Send us a messageJoin hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss the “freedom of religion” portion of the First Amendment. The First Amendment actually provides us with 5 freedoms, including freedom of religion, which includes the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause; and freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and petition which we covered in episodes 21 and 22. There is a reason the Framers included all of these in the very first amendment, so listen in and find out why these freedoms are so important to us as Americans.Support the show

Send us a messageWe will return in Episode 24 with the freedom of religion part of the First Amendment. In this episode, join the hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss times in our almost 250-year history when the situation in the U.S. looked as bleak, or even bleaker, than they do today, but Americans were able to fight and claw in their quest for equal rights and a more perfect union to survive and advance our nation. Support the show

Send us a messageJoin hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss the “freedom of expression” portion of the First Amendment. The First Amendment actually provides us with 5 freedoms, including freedom of religion, which we will examine in an upcoming episode, and freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and petition. We covered speech in the last episode and, in this one, we will examine press, assembly, and petition. There is a reason the Framers included all of these in the very first amendment, so listen in and find out why these freedoms are so important to us as Americans.Support the show