Growing Patriots

When John Adams got back from his time abroad, he had two big jobs in the brand-new American government: The first vice president and second president.

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.