Podcast
Democracy in Question: America at 250
Hosted by The Brookings Institution · EN
On Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas interviews guests about American politics and democracy. This season unpacks the 250-year-old Declaration of Independence phrase by phrase, finding the throughline between America's founding ideals and our democracy today.
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Heather Cox Richardson on defending the Declaration's democratic ideals
2d ago00:35:43Tap to summarizeOn the final episode of Democracy in Question's third season, host Katie Dunn Tenpas speaks with historian Heather Cox Richardson about the Declaration of Independence as a whole and its relevance today. The Declaration can be understood as an unfinished promise that depends on Americans' capacity to defend, expand, and reinvent its ideals. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →The most profound line in the Declaration of Independence
1w ago00:25:07Tap to summarizeOn this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas speaks with Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon, about the Declaration's most consequential closing phrase. From the founders' dual loyalties to the erosion of "sacred honor," they illuminate what mutually pledging their "Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor" demanded in 1776 and what it asks of Americans now. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →Why the founders cared about trade and taxes
3w ago00:28:55Tap to summarizeTwo grievances lodged against King George in the Declaration of Independence—taxation without consent and trade restrictions—continue to shape American policy today. On this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas is joined by Brookings scholars Kari Heerman and Vanessa Williamson for a conversation that draws a direct line from the founders' grievances in 1776 to the tariff and tax policy decisions defining the U.S. today. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →Founders' focus on naturalization and migration echoes today
May 2900:32:32Tap to summarizeThe Declaration of Independence accused the British Crown of obstructing naturalization and restricting migration to the colonies, grievances that feel especially relevant today. On this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas sits down with Brookings senior fellows Rashawn Ray and Scott Anderson to trace how American values around immigration and naturalization have evolved since 1776, and what the Founders' concerns tell us about today's debates. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →Is 'consent of the governed' possible amid polarized politics?
May 700:25:31Tap to summarizeThe Declaration of Independence declared that legitimate government rests on the 'consent of the governed.' Where does the social contract between Americans and government stand today? In this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas asks Brookings senior fellow Jonathan Rauch to trace the idea from founding principle to present-day practice. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →Life, Liberty, and Happiness: A guide for yesterday and today?
Apr 2300:17:25Tap to summarizeThe words "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" in the Declaration of Independence were specific enough to win over colonists in 1776, but vague enough to appeal to social movements since and today. In this episode of Democracy in Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas asks Lindsay Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library, about the origin of this phrase and why it still matters. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →Has America ever lived up to 'all men are created equal'?
Apr 900:33:12Tap to summarizeIn 1776, the Declaration of Independence declared that "all men are created equal." Ever since then, Americans have invoked that promise to demand inclusion and drive policy change. On this episode of Democracy In Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas unpacks what the phrase has meant throughout American history and how it informs policy debates today with guests Bill Galston and Keon Gilbert. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →What do the Declaration's "self-evident truths" mean today?
Mar 2600:26:33Tap to summarize"We hold these truths to be self-evident," but what did those words really mean in 1776, and who were they written for? In the season 3 premiere of Democracy In Question, Katie Dunn Tenpas and Vanessa Williamson dig into the radical promise within this phrase from the Declaration of Independence. They unpack its evolution, from the abolitionists who wielded it as a tool for equality, to why its vision of shared truth and self-government feels more urgent than ever. Show notes and transcript. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →Is the Declaration of Independence still relevant 250 years later?
Mar 1800:01:03Tap to summarizeIn this new season of Democracy In Question, host Katie Dunn Tenpas unpacks the 250-year-old Declaration of Independence phrase by phrase with guests, finding the throughline between America's founding ideals and our democracy today. Stay tuned for new episodes soon. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
Transcribe →How do we safeguard democracy?
Jul 3, 202500:29:41Tap to summarizeDemocracy is upheld not by one president or the powerful few, but by democratic actors at every level—individual, local, state, and national. In this episode, host Katie Dunn Tenpas and Jonathan Katz, a fellow in Governance Studies at Brookings, explore how to create and safeguard a positive vision for U.S. governance by examining the core pillars of democracy. Transcript and show notes. Democracy in Question is part of the Brookings Podcast Network. Subscribe and listen wherever you listen to podcasts. Send feedback to podcasts@brookings.edu.
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