The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

TOPICS: The 1776 Curriculum, a history lesson on the Second Amendment, Christopher Dawson, & "Conservatism and Race" Host Scot Bertram talks with Dr. Kathleen O'Toole, Assistant Provost for K-12 Education at Hillsdale, about the release of The 1776 Curriculum. David Harsanyi, senior writer at National Review, discusses his recent essay, "The 1619 Project Comes for the Second Amendment". Brad Birze...

TOPICS: A new children's book written by a Hillsdale professor, the erosion of American freedoms, & realism as a literary movement. Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Mehan, Director of Academic Programs for Hillsdale in D.C. and Assistant Professor of Government, about his new children's book, THE HANDSOME LITTLE CYGNET. Myron Magnet, Editor-at-Large of City Journal, discusses his recent essay...

TOPICS: Journalist Ring Lardner & the Black Sox scandal, Charles Murray's FACING REALITY, & the philosopher Marsilio Ficino. Host Scot Bertram talks with John J. Miller, Director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College, about journalist Ring Lardner and the Black Sox scandal of 1919. Charles Murray, W.H. Brady Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, joins us for an in-depth discus...

TOPICS: Constitution 101, media malpractice and "fact checking," & Victorian poet Matthew Arnold Host Scot Bertram talks with Kyle Murnen, Director of Online Learning at Hillsdale College, to discuss the upcoming six-week study group on the free "Constitution 101" course. John Daniel Davidson, a Hillsdale graduate and Political Editor at The Federalist, analyzes media coverage of the Biden adminis...

TOPICS: The case against reparations, the life of Alexander the Great, and how to think about climate change Host Scot Bertram talks with David Azerrad, Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at Hillsdale College’s Van Andel Graduate School of Government in Washington, D.C., about his recent essay at Newsweek, "Contra Reparations". Ken Calvert, from Hillsdale's history department, returns for Par...

TOPICS: The hidden costs of electric cars, the life of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, & Protestantism in America Host Scot Bertram talks with Robert Norton, Vice President and General Counsel of Hillsdale College and former Assistant General Counsel at Mercedes/Chrysler, about the hidden costs of electric vehicles. Arthur Herman, historian and senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, discusses the life of...

TOPICS: Political journalism and bias, discovering the wisdom of tradition in an age of chaos, and a look at the concept of definition Host Scot Bertram talks with Mollie Hemingway, Senior Journalism Fellow at Hillsdale College, Senior Editor at The Federalist & Fox News Contributor, about some recent controversies regarding media coverage and how we should consider stories as we read them. Sohrab...

TOPICS: The rise and legacy of American progressivism, a great moment in The Odyssey, & a Hillsdale alumnus spotlight Host Scot Bertram talks with Ronald J. Pestritto, Dean of the Graduate School, Professor of Politics, and Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution at Hillsdale College, about his new book AMERICA TRANSFORMED. Kelly Scott Franklin, from Hillsdale's English depart...

TOPICS: Keynesian economics, a new biography of Thomas Sowell, and liberal education Host Scot Bertram talks with Charles Steele, Chairman of Economics, Business, and Accounting and Associate Professor of Economics at Hillsdale College about John Maynard Keynes and Keynesian economics. Jason Riley dives into MAVERICK, his new biography of one of America's most influential conservative thinkers, Th...

TOPICS: The 1776 Commission reconvenes, how the Apollo 1 tragedy helped put the U.S. on the moon, and a tour of Normandy American Cemetery Host Scot Bertram shares excerpts of a conversation among Dr. Larry Arnn, chairman of The 1776 Commission, Dr. Matthew Spalding, vice president of The 1776 Commission, and Dr. Carol Swain, vice chair of The 1776 Commission following a reconvening earlier this w...

On May 24, 2021, The 1776 Commission met at Hillsdale College’s Washington, D.C. campus to discuss civic education curricula, state civic education reform efforts, pending federal legislation and executive actions, and future activity of the Commission. Following the meeting, Dr. Matthew Spalding, executive director of The 1776 Commission, Dr. Larry Arnn, chairman of The 1776 Commission, and Dr. C...

TOPICS: New online course on Dante's DIVINE COMEDY, the Colorado baker whose case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, raising chickens, and politics in Hollywood Host Scot Bertram talks with Stephen Smith, Dean of Humanities, Temple Family Chair in English Literature, and Professor of English at Hillsdale, who also serves as your instructor for the College's new online course on Dante's DIVINE COME...

TOPICS: Good poetics and good politics, the details of HR1, and Robert Browning Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Mehan, Director of Academic Programs for Hillsdale in D.C. and Assistant Professor of Government, about the importance of good poetics to good politics. Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, describes the dangerous details inside HR1, the election refor...

TOPICS: "50 Years of Reparations," THE EMPEROR'S SWORD, math as part of a liberal arts education, and Elizebeth Smith Friedman Host Scot Bertram talks with Paul Moreno, William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional History, Professor of History, & Dean of Social Sciences at Hillsdale, about his recent essay at RealClearPolicy, "50 Years of Reparations". Andrew Klavan returns to discuss the...

TOPICS: Christianity in politics, the autobiography of Calvin Coolidge, the Humanist movement, & slanted journalism Host Scot Bertram talks with John Grant, Associate Professor and Chairman of Politics at Hillsdale, about Christianity in politics. Amity Shlaes, Chair of the Coolidge Foundation, discusses the new edition of THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF CALVIN COOLIDGE. Matthew Gaetano, Associate Professor...

TOPICS: Civic and moral virtues, religious liberty in crisis, and AESOP'S FABLES Host Scot Bertram talks with Will Morrisey, Professor Emeritus of Politics at Hillsdale College, about his recent essay titled "Civic and Moral Virtues, the American Way". Ken Starr discusses his new book, RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN CRISIS: EXERCISING YOUR FAITH IN AN AGE OF UNCERTAINTY. And Dan Coupland, Professor and Chai...

TOPICS: Reagan, the Great Communicator, identity politics and other afflictions of our time, & a continuing discussion of definition Host Scot Bertram talks with John J. Miller, head of the Hillsdale College Dow Journalism Program, about Ronald Reagan as "The Great Communicator" and his career in media. Joshua Mitchell, professor of political theory at Georgetown University, joins us to discuss hi...

TOPICS: Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, the root causes of violent protests in the U.S., and "true crime" documentaries Host Scot Bertram talks with Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, about the 75th anniversary of Winston Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech. Mary Eberstadt discusses her essay, "The Fury of the Fatherless," looking at the root causes of some of the violent protests across...

TOPICS: How baseball became big, why the Green New Deal is even worse than you think, Westward Expansion in America, & a Hillsdale alum shares his insights Host Scot Bertram talks with Paul Moreno, a huge baseball fan who also serves as William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional History, Professor of History, & Dean of Social Sciences at Hillsdale, about how baseball became big business...

TOPICS: The nanny state, the future or artificial intelligence, the essays of Flannery O'Connor, & the philosophy of luck Host Scot Bertram talks with Paul Rahe, Professor of History & Chair in the Western Heritage at Hillsdale, about the origins of the "nanny state" and attempts to roll it back. Brian Christian, author of THE MOST HUMAN HUMAN discusses the future of artificial intelligence. On th...

TOPICS: The 1776 Report, political correctness and higher education, and the Hillsdale French Study Abroad program Host Scot Bertram talks with Larry Arnn, President of Hillsdale College & chairman of the 1776 Commission, about the expanded release of the 1776 REPORT and how listeners might find it useful. Williams College Professor of Political Science Darel E. Paul joins us to discuss political...

TOPICS: Hillsdale's new online mathematics course, Lincoln and "'Anti-Racism," Alfred, Lord Tennyson, & Big Tech and political manipulation Host Scot Bertram talks with Thomas Treloar, Chairman and Professor of Mathematics at Hillsdale, about the College's new online course on mathematics and logic. Ken Masugi, Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute, discusses his recent essay "The Case Against...

TOPICS: The legacy of Rush Limbaugh, leaving Seattle for Texas, and John Henry Newman Host Scot Bertram talks with James Brandon, Chairman and Professor of Theatre at Hillsdale College, about the legacy left by the late Rush Limbaugh. Long-time Seattle talk radio host Kirby Wilbur discusses his decision to retire and move from the Pacific Northwest to the state of Texas, And David Whalen, Associat...

TOPICS: Challenging claims of “systemic racism,” lowered expectations in education, & Alexander the Great Host Scot Bertram talks with David Azerrad, Assistant Professor and Research Fellow at Hillsdale College's Van Andel Graduate School of Government, about his recent essay titled, "On the Peculiar Character of American 'Racism'". Ian Rowe, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, d...

TOPICS: Frederick Douglass the journalist, the CRISIS OF THE TWO CONSTITUTIONS, & discussing definition Host Scot Bertram talks with John J. Miller, head of the Hillsdale College Dow Journalism Program, about Frederick Douglass the journalist. Charles Kesler, senior fellow at the Claremont Institute, shares insights from his new book, CRISIS OF THE TWO CONSTITUTIONS: THE RISE, DECLINE, AND RECOVER...