Plain Civics

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Plain Civics

Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery

27 episodes

2 days ago

Send us a message In this second special holiday episode of Plain Civics, join host Bobbi Fisher as she tells the story of an ambitious battle plan devised by General George Washington to take place on Christmas night 1776. Up to this point in the Revolutionary War the Americans had achieved little success on the battlefield and troop morale was extremely low. Gen. Washington hoped that a surprise attack at Trenton, NJ, on unsuspecting Hessian soldiers might give the American soldiers the boo...

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Send us a message In this second special holiday episode of Plain Civics, join host Bobbi Fisher as she tells the story of an ambitious battle plan devised by General George Washington to take place on Christmas night 1776. Up to this point in the Revolutionary War the Americans had achieved little success on the battlefield and troop morale was extremely low. Gen. Washington hoped that a surprise attack at Trenton, NJ, on unsuspecting Hessian soldiers might give the American soldiers the boo...

Show more...

Episodes (20/27)

Plain Civics

Civics Belongs in the Holiday Season

Send us a message The holiday season slows the country down — but civics doesn’t stop. In this special episode of Plain Civics, Joe Ulery looks at how holidays fit into American civic life. From early debates over Christmas in colonial America to Congress making it a federal holiday, from George Washington’s Christmas-night gamble to how government continues operating during the holidays today. This episode focuses on history, constitutional context, and civic reality — not politics of the mo...

6 days ago

8 minutes

Plain Civics

Why is Freedom of Religion in the First Amendment?

Send us a message Join hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss the “freedom of religion” portion of the First Amendment. The First Amendment actually provides us with 5 freedoms, including freedom of religion, which includes the Establishment Clause and the Free Exercise Clause; and freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and petition which we covered in episodes 21 and 22. There is a reason the Framers included all of these in the very first amendment, so listen in and find out why the...

2 weeks ago

49 minutes

Plain Civics

USA, USA, We’re For You Today! The Cheerleading Episode You Didn’t Know You Needed!

Send us a message We will return in Episode 24 with the freedom of religion part of the First Amendment. In this episode, join the hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss times in our almost 250-year history when the situation in the U.S. looked as bleak, or even bleaker, than they do today, but Americans were able to fight and claw in their quest for equal rights and a more perfect union to survive and advance our nation. Support the show

1 month ago

54 minutes

Plain Civics

Is Freedom of Expression the Most Important Part of the First Amendment? - Part 2

Send us a message Join hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss the “freedom of expression” portion of the First Amendment. The First Amendment actually provides us with 5 freedoms, including freedom of religion, which we will examine in an upcoming episode, and freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and petition. We covered speech in the last episode and, in this one, we will examine press, assembly, and petition. There is a reason the Framers included all of these in the very first am...

1 month ago

47 minutes

Plain Civics

Is Freedom of Expression the Most Important Part of the First Amendment? - Part 1

Send us a message Join hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss the “freedom of expression” portion of the First Amendment. The First Amendment actually provides us with 5 freedoms, including freedom of religion, which we will examine in episode 23, and freedoms of speech, press, assembly, and petition. There is a reason the Framers included all of these in the very first amendment, so listen in and find out why these freedoms are so important to us as Americans. Support the show

2 months ago

33 minutes

Plain Civics

Peaceful Civil Discourse + Educated Citizens = Recipe for a Healthy Democracy or Can We Find the Better Angels of Our Nature???

Send us a message Join hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they unwrap how polarization and civil discourse are related, tell about how we, as a nation, have been here before, and how we overcame those difficult episodes of civil discourse. What is different this time around and how we can still overcome the tough period of polarization and uncivil discourse. Support the show

2 months ago

44 minutes

Plain Civics

Political Polarization or Why Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Send us a message Joins hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss political polarization in America. They unwrap what is meant by polarization, possible reasons for it, why it seems worse right now, and what we can do to lessen it and why we need to. Support the show

3 months ago

42 minutes

Plain Civics

How are the Census, Redistricting, and Gerrymandering Related?

Send us a message Join hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they take a deep dive into gerrymandering. They explain what it is, how it and the name came about, and how it it relates to the census and state redistributing after each census. Support the show

3 months ago

36 minutes

Plain Civics

Civic Responsibilities - What Are They and Why Should We Care?

Send us a message Listen as hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery discuss what your duties and responsibilities are as citizens of the United States. Duties such as following laws and serving on a jury are required, and responsibilities such as voting and staying informed about the issues are expected. But there are more than these. So, listen and learn why civic engagement, civic education, and fulfilling our duties and responsibilities as citizens are so important. We also have added a new segme...

3 months ago

41 minutes

Plain Civics

Send us a text In this special episode we are going to explore some common misconceptions about various topics related to civics. We tried to think of things we have heard people say that made us stop and think, “What?” Maybe the “what” meant, “That person doesn’t know what they are talking about,” or maybe it meant, ”Wow, I didn’t know that and I would almost bet other people don’t either.” So, lets take a look at freedom of speech, executive orders, immigrant rights, the Pledge of Allegianc...

4 months ago

47 minutes

Plain Civics

Why is Slavery So Important to the Early History of Our Republic?

Send us a text Slavery definitely had an influence on the writing and wording of the U.S. Constitution and the history of our republic, not just in its earliest days but we can still see some of its lingering effects in our nation today…almost 250 years later. This episode discusses the truths about slavery in America and gives a first-hand look at what enslaved Africans endured in the so-called Middle Passage and beyond. We also look at the three clauses of the original Constitution that wer...

4 months ago

37 minutes

Plain Civics

Understanding the Bill of Rights

Send us a text Join hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they delve into why and how the Bill of Rights was added to the original Constitution within just a couple years of its ratification. Included is what each amendment actually states, an explanation of the three categories of rights, and what is meant by positive and negative rights. Support the show

5 months ago

26 minutes

Plain Civics

What is the Electoral College and Why Do We Elect Our President This Way?

Send us a text Join hosts, Joe Ulery and Bobbi Fisher as they tackle the reason we use the Electoral College to elect the President, and explain how the process works. There is also a discussion of why people don’t vote and how to encourage them to. Support the show

5 months ago

28 minutes

Plain Civics

Ratification of the Constitution, General Welfare Clause, Habeas Corpus, and the Preamble

Send us a text Join hosts Joe Ulery and Bobbi Fisher as they delve into the ratification process of the new Constitution, the purpose and meaning of the general welfare clause and habeas corpus, and dissect the Preamble of the Constitution because it’s not just a bunch of words. Support the show

6 months ago

24 minutes

Plain Civics

Ratification of the Constitution and the Elastic Clause

Send us a text Join hosts Bobbi Fisher and Joe Ulery as they discuss ratification of the new Constitution, Federalists and Anti-Federalists and their arguments for and against ratification, and what is the “necessary and proper clause?” Support the show

6 months ago

25 minutes

Plain Civics

Part IV: How Did Our Constitution Originate?

Send us a text Join the hosts, Joe Ulery and Bobbi Fisher as they put the wraps on the Constitutional Convention in September 1787. Find out what the final debates and discussions were about and why a few delegates refused to sign it. Also, don’t miss the Fast Five and Pop Quiz. Support the show

7 months ago

24 minutes

Plain Civics

Part III: How Did Our Constitution Originate?

Send us a text Join the hosts, Joe Ulery and Bobbi Fisher, as they wrap up the making of our Constitution. Learn about the ins and outs of important debates and how they were resolved and incorporated into the new Constitution. As always, enjoy the Fast Five and Pop Quiz, as well. Support the show

7 months ago

24 minutes

Plain Civics

Part II: How Did Our Constitution Originate?

Send us a text Join hosts Joe Ulery and Bobbi Fisher as they continue to explore why the Framers decided to ditch the Articles of Confederation and create our current U.S. Constitution. Support the show

8 months ago

26 minutes

Plain Civics

Part I: How Did Our Constitution Originate?

Send us a text Join the hosts of Plain Civics, Joe Ulery and Bobbi Fisher, as they look at what the Continental Congress did right before issuing the Declaration of Independence and what our nation’s first constitution was like and what led to its revision. Support the show

8 months ago

27 minutes

Plain Civics

Sorting Out News & Information in 2025

Send us a text In this episode of Plain Civics, hosts Bobbi Fisher + Joe Ulery discuss how to sort out news and information in 2025. They look at journalistic ethics and how to try to figure out which news sources are accurate and reliable. Methods and websites are discussed to help sort through the mounds of information thrown at us in the 24/7 news cycle and where to fact-check it. Support the show

9 months ago

29 minutes