In this Episode:

• The Ratification Debates continue.
• Massachusetts ratifies based on the leading of Samuel Adams and John Hancock and support for a Bill of Rights.
• Maryland ratifies despite Luther Martin’s opposition.
• South Carolina ratifies, while North Carolina remains an Anti-Federalist stronghold.
• New Hampshire becomes the ninth state to ratify, fulfilling the obligations required by the Philadelphia Convention.
• Titans clash in Virginia, but the Constitution is ratified with an agreement to later support a Bill of Rights.
• New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island eventually ratify.
• A new government is formed and a Bill of Rights is passed.

In this Episode:

• The  final debates at the Constitutional Convention center on signing questions.
• Elbridge Gerry, George Mason and Edmund Randolph all voice displeasure with the document and refuse to sign.
• A committee on style is formed to write the Constitution.
• A Bill of Rights is proposed and debated, but soundly defeated, only for the issue to be resurrected again during the ratification debates.
• Washington supports a measure to increase representation in the House to win over dissenters, but the dissenters refuse to sign.
• The Constitution is signed and the debate for its ratification begins.

In this Episode:

• The  development of the Judicial Branch in the Constitutional Convention.
• Should the Judicial Branch be combined with the Executive Branch?
• A description of the Judicial Branch in Article III and Federalist Papers.
• The Judiciary Act of 1789 and Congress’ roll in forming the Judicial Branch.
• Details on the original courts.
• A discussion on the evolution of the courts today, foreshadowed by Thomas Jefferson.

In this Episode:

• The debate over the Executive Branch.
• Should there be one executive or a council of executives?
• Debates over terms, length of service and the executives relationship to the Congress.
• A discussion on the Electoral College and its roll in the 1800 and 2000 Presidential Elections.
• The eventual formation of Article II of the Constitution.

In this Episode:

• Slavery, the Fugitive Slave Clause, and the Three-Fifths Compromise
• A discussion on slavery, the Constitutional Convention, and the U.S. Contitution
• William Lloyd Garrison and Fredrick Douglass’ views on the Constitution
• The divisions between North and South
• An alliance between Connecticut and the Southern states over exports
• An analysis of the Convention’s handling of the slavery issue

In this Episode:

• The debate continues between the small state men favoring equal representation and the large state men favoring proportional representation.
• Tensions reach a critical mass.
• Benjamin Franklin calls for prayer before each session.
• Were the Founding Fathers deists?
• The men from Connecticut prepare to propose a compromise.
• The delegates end June in despair, almost ready to concede that an agreement could not be reached.

In this Episode:

• Alexander Hamilton’s life, part one of two.
• Hamilton’s early life as an orphaned and illegitimate son.
• Hamilton’s time at King’s College in New York City and his growing interest in the revolution and military strategy and tactics.
• Hamilton forms his own militia and later contributes significantly to several famous Revolutionary War battle.
• Hamilton’s post-war career includes law and the founding of the Bank of New York.
• Hamilton’s role in the founding of a new government.

In this Episode:

• Alexander Hamilton proposes a radical centralized government based on Great Britain’s system.
• Even his close friend James Madison is amazed by Hamilton’s outlandish proposal.
• The debate over representation continues to prevent substantive progress.
• A profile of Luther Martin, a man who spoke a great lengths but rarely contributed anything of substance.

In this Episode:

• Resuming the events taking place in Independence Hall.
• Summary of the large state advantage.
• Brief biography of William Paterson.
• William Paterson proposes New Jersey plan for small states to rally behind.
• The large states respond.

In this Episode:

• Edmund Randolph introduces the Virginia Plan, an effort to increase the strength of the national government
• At the center of the Virginia Plan was Proportional Representation, a concept widely supported by the delegates from the large states.
• The small state delegates react negatively to any change.  They enjoyed Equal Representation under the Articles of Confederation.
• Intense debate over representation divides the convention.
• The large states dominate but push too far as the small states begin to push back.

In this Episode:

• The city of Philadelphia during the Constitutional Convention.
• An overview of the Constitutional Convention delegates.
• Notable Constitutional Convention absences.
• A short look at the 55 delegates, part 1.
• Delegates from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, and Delaware.

In this Episode:

• James Madison, the Father of the Constitution, Part I.
• Madison’s formative years.
• Madison’s study of republics and his criticism of the Articles of Confederation.
• Madison’s notes on the Constitution.
• Madison’s role in the Federalist Papers.
• Madison, his home state of Virginia and his dealings with rival Patrick Henry.

In this Episode:

• Discussions of trade and commerce between Virginia and Maryland regarding the Potomac River at the Mount Vernon Conference.
• The formation of the Potomac Company.
• Interstate Commerce meeting at the Annapolis Convention.
• Question of the adequacy of the Articles of Convention.
• The proposal of a new convention in Philadelphia and the approval by the Confederation Congress .