Apr 3, 2026
In this concluding episode on the Civil War and the Constitution we will dicuss the 15th Amendment and the end of Reconstruction. We will examine the many factors that made the crafting of the 15th so difficult, the ratification process, and the efforts to undermine its effectivneess. We will also look at the reasons...
Jan 3, 2026
In this episode we will talk about the Civil Rights Act of 1866, but primarily we will dicuss the most impactful of the Constitution's Amendments, the Fourteenth. Specifically, the circumstances in the post-war south that compelled its creation, the role it played in Reconstruction, the men who drafted it, the many...
Sep 1, 2025
In this episode we will examine in some detail, important and transformative federal legislation passed during the second session of the 37th Congress (1861-62), including the Homestead Act, Morrill Act, Legal Tender Act and the Pacific Railroad Act. I will offer an introduction to the Civil War Amendments, the 13th,...
Jun 29, 2025
In this second episode on the monumental impact of the Civil War on law and society, first we will talk some straight up history on why the war proved to be such a prolonged and terrible struggle. Next we will take on the weighty topic of Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution, specifically relating to the right of...
Apr 28, 2025
In this the first of several episodes on the Civil War era and the Constitution, we will exam the root causes of the Civil War, the institution of slavery, and the factors that contributed to its longevity in America for 250 years. Also the provisions in the Constitution that addressed slavery, and the important...