Growing Patriots

During the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson was in Virginia. He was working as a legislator and governor while also being a husband and dad — and these were not easy years. Find out what it was like in this episode!

Thomas Jefferson heads to the Second Continental Congress and gets writing. That leads to one of the biggest jobs in American history – writing the Declaration of Independence.

When Thomas Jefferson went into politics full time, he made quite an entrance.

Thomas Jefferson has some big changes in his life as he enters adulthood.

Ep. 117 – Thomas Jefferson's Early Life by Growing Patriots

Ep. 116 – John Adams' Retirement and Later Life by Growing Patriots

Ep. 115 – John Adams in the Executive Branch by Growing Patriots

For most of the American Revolution, John Adams was representing America in Europe. Hear all about it in this episode!

In the lead up to the American Revolution, John Adams went from prominent attorney to leader of the American Revolution. In this episode, found out how it all happened!

We can't talk about the life of John Adams without talking about his wife, Abigail. They were a team! This episode introduces Abigail Adams.

John Adams grew up in a colonial Massachusetts that was rapidly becoming a hotbed of revolution. Find out how his early life, education, and legal career prepared him to be a Founding Father of the new nation to come.

After the revolution, George and Martha Washington were ready to retire at Mount Vernon. But the American people had different plans for the Washingtons.

When George Washington was named Commander of the Continental Army, he had a huge task ahead. Find out how the army he led came out victorious.

Learn all about Martha Washington in this episode!

Find out about George Washington's early military and political career.

Find out about George Washington's early life!

Find out about Benjamin Franklin's work as a writer and inventor in this last episode about our first founding father.

Benjamin Franklin spent most of the American Revolution in France. Find out what he was doing and how it was critical to American liberty!

Learn all about Benjamin Franklin's work in London.

Learn all about Benjamin Franklin's early life. What was he like as a child? How did it impact him as an adult? Find out now!

As we start to learn all about the Founding Fathers, let's talk about who they were and what it means to be a founder.

When our founders created America, they embraced a lot of new ideas – like liberty, equality, and justice. But who inspired our founders to see the world that way? In this episode, we talk about something called The Enlightenment and the philosophers who changed history.

Abraham Lincoln came after the founding period in American history, but he had a lot in common with our founders. In this episode, we're joined by Jon White, author of the children's book "My Day with Abe Lincoln" to tell us all about him!

There are some threads that go throughout colonial American history – things like liberty and justice. Here are a few to keep in mind!

In this episode, we go over 7 key moments from America's founding you should always remember.

Here are 5 things that happened during America's founding period that didn't get a full episode, but I still want you to know about!

How did Washington, D.C. become our capitol? We hear all about it with an expert from the United States Capitol Historical Society!

Once the Constitution had been ratified, it was time to America to choose its first president. We're joined by Dr. Colleen Shogan – the Archivist of the United States –to hear all about how George Washington was chosen and inaugurated.

We've learned an awful lot about the Constitution! In this episode, we're joined by Constitutional expert Clark Neily who breaks it down into the key themes and what we absolutely need to keep in mind.

The final two amendments in the Bill of Rights are all about who has the power – the people and the states. Here's how it all works.

Amendments 5-8 are all about protecting the rights of someone who has been accused of a crime. That's almost half of the whole Bill of Rights! So, why did our founders care so much? Let's find out.

The third and fourth amendments to the Constitution are all about making sure your home is safe from the government.

We’ve wrapped up our episodes on the First Amendment, and you know what that means – on to the second! People often argue about the Second Amendment – but do they know what it really says? In this episode, we’re joined by Second Amendment and firearms policy expert Stephen Gutowski from The Reload to give us the real scoop.

We're wrapping up the First Amendment with a minisode on the last two freedoms it protects – assembly and petition!

We continue exploring the First Amendment by learning all about Freedom of the Press!

We continue our exploration of the First Amendment by talking about free speech. What does it mean? What can you say? Are there any limitations? Listen now to find out!

In this episode, we get started on the First Amendment! It "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." So, what does it mean to have freedom of religion? Why was it so important to our founders? Listen to find out!

Before we learn about the rights protected in the Bill of Rights, let's learn what rights really are!

The Constitution had been made the law of the land, but our founders wanted to make sure the people – and the government – knew certain fundamental rights could not be trampled upon.

We've talked about the Legislative and Judicial Branches. Now, it's time to learn what the Executive Branch does!