Episode Transcript
Hey guys, welcome back to SOS. It's me again. What is SOS? Sort of sophisticated. Oh, you're trying to be cute? Well, don't we need a tagline? S. O. S. Sort of sophisticated. Okay, fine. Let's do this. It's me again. Petardo. Here with the best co host in the world. Amanda. Well, that's always so complimentary, but what is Petardo? Petardo. I don't know. It's, I think it's Spanish for like firecracker or something. I mean, I guess that's fitting for you. We'd have to look it up. Fair. That's what, that's what my, um, what would you call that? Grandfather in law. Used to call me. Now I really wanna know what if it wasn't firecracker? What if it's like, you're an ass hat. I don't, yeah, you should probably look that up. 'cause he didn't speak English, that's all he ever called me was It might be slang for something. I maybe, I thought it was firecracker. Anyway, um, what do you wanna get sophisticated about today? Do we have a plan? It is a firecracker. It's a firecracker? Yeah. Okay. Look at that. Yes. So, so it is fitting for you. Okay. Very good. Fair. All right. What are we talking about today? I don't know. Are we winging it now? Why not? Let's just wing it. It's probably more interesting anyway. Right? Who's even listening? I mean, 23 listeners, but that's probably true. Though, I'd rather not embarrass you, so let's just, uh, keep it simple. I'm fine with being embarrassed. Well, why don't we then talk about whatever we prepared so we can share some real info instead of, uh, just lying to our listeners. Probably safer, right? To do that? Probably safer, and I know you've already taught us the skill of lying, but Wait. Yes. Excuse me, we taught the skill of lying, because if I remember right, you were also pretty high up there on the lying scale. Uh, remind me, we have like a lot of topics on tap, which one are we getting more cultured and curious about today, please? I gotta lock in. You better lock it in because election day is right around the corner so I figured today we should talk about the origins of maybe the United States democracy and how it was maybe formed in the first place. So good luck with that. Yes, that's right. Okay. I do remember that one. We did talk that one. All right. All right. Let me look that stuff up and get ready to go here. Um, are we going to be able to do this though? Like without actually politicking? I mean, I can. Can you? I'm like the least political person. I think so. I'm gonna need another drink, though. Another? Yeah, I had one before you got here. I mean, fair, I was late, so. That tracks. Cause, cause you're always late. That's true. Okay, but wait, before you get too drunk, what does learning about Too late, I'm already too drunk. Well This is going to make for a fun episode. So, how then does learning about our democracy make us more cultured and curious? But, I don't know if I actually trust you now that you're drunk. So, I think I'll just do it myself. Uh, probably a better idea. So, hey, Amanda? What up Pete? Why don't you tell us how learning about our democracy makes us more cultured and curious? Thanks for that prompt, super helpful. Anyway, I'm only doing cultured because I have no idea about curious. That's fine, do cultured. Fair. Fair. So. Picture this a bunch of 30 year olds sitting around with wigs Hammering out how like freedom equality and justice all fit together and keep in mind not all of them even got along Wait, really? Oh, they did not were they all were they hot? No, probably not. Well, I mean, like, I know Ben Franklin wasn't hot, but do you think the other ones were hot? No. There were some young dudes. No, I don't think so. All right, fine. The closest one may be Sam Adams, but like the The beer guy? Oh, yeah. Okay. Oh, he's. All right, sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to get you off track. Please let our listeners know why we're being cultured here. Well, when you dig into it, you can start to see how their endless hours of drinking and debating actually still shape the way that we live today. And I think it makes you think differently about why our system works the way it does and why something seems so complicated. It's like a adding another layer to how you see the world. And I think it's pretty cool once you start to notice those connections, but really this epiphany started. Because I was in Boston and we went to the oldest tavern. Oh my god. That's awesome and they were drunk the whole time and they were there and they were there Like the cool thing is they were in the places back at like this is why these guys like 250 years ago. I know Yeah, yeah. Yeah when I went and visited Washington DC same same I had that same like wild feeling All right It's it is it is really crazy when you think about it this thing has been around the US Constitution for 250 years These dudes knew what they were doing. Bitch all you want. And really, you know what? We don't have to politic at all. Because it doesn't even matter what side of the debate you're on right now. Everybody loves the fact that they can bitch about the democracy. So like, we created this tool everybody loves. I wish I was smart like that. At the core of it, I feel like everyone loves, right? But I think they lose sight of it. They absolutely do. But at the end of the day, the whole reason they get to do what they want to do is because of it? It's super circular. It's amazing. I wish I was smart. We just sit here and talk about, like, shit I pretend to know stuff about. Like, how embarrassing that these guys were, doing real work. Ope, I figured it out. What? The curious part. That's the curious part? It's the curious part. I love that. You just talk about shit that you don't really know about, curious enough to learn some more. It is. Alright. Let's do, can we at least do the word of the day so I feel a little smart? Absolutely. Lay it on me. Uh, okay. So our word of the day is fugacious. That sounds highly inappropriate. Why? Because you think I'm inappropriate. That's why. We all know you're inappropriate. Right. What? Okay. Fugacious is actually totally appropriate. All right, then. What does it mean? It describes something that only lasts for a short time. So your attention span is fugacious. Oh my god, that was perfect. We're getting way too good at this. I don't think that doesn't even count because you said it too fast. Okay, fair. It has to be applicable within the topic. Okay, yes, thank you. But I have a feeling this one's going to be, like, really easy for you, apparently. Evidently. Because my attention span is fugacious, totally. Okay, whatever. Okay, so why don't you start us off like you always do go ahead and give us the origin story How did this whole democracy thing get started in the first place with all these kings and monarchs running around. This was pretty innovative I would imagine and rebellious How about out of the box? How about legendary or legendary? Yeah, that's a good word. Yeah legendary for sure It wasn't fagacious. Okay, picture this. It's the late 1700s, and America's like, I don't know, a 13 year old who just figured out that like, technically, they don't have to listen to mom and dad anymore. Like Ruth. Well, Ruth's like 18 now, not 13, but anyway. And in this case, of course that parent was Great Britain. And if you've seen Hamilton by now, and who are we kidding, who hasn't? Best. Play. Ever. It's so good. Right? So good. It's the best. Okay. So anyway, good old King Georgie Boy III thought he could tax the colonies and still somehow be loved by all 13 colonies across the sea at the same time? Yeah. No, not happening, right? So it all starts because the Americans well, I guess technically not Americans yet, but you get the idea They start thinking we got to try something new because this is nuts man so that of course led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which technically didn't make it a democracy yet, but really more like a Strongly worded breakup letter to Great Britain. So basically it was like, uh, it's not you, it's me. Hey, we're going to start seeing other government styles now. Bye. Uh, you are a total Hamilton freak. I can tell. I love Hamilton. It is my favorite play and I did go see it for like the fourth time two weeks ago. I have never seen it. I have only seen it on Disney I want to go, and why haven't I been invited by Amanda yet? Um, I'm pretty sure I did invite you. Hamilton?! You said no. No, not Hamilton. I did. Uh, I did, you couldn't come because Martin was in town. Okay, the next time Martin's in town, I'm going to see Hamilton with you instead. I would much rather. That is by far my fave. I read the book. Like, I read the, like, 1500 page book. I didn't even know there was a book. Okay, yeah, it's called Alexander Hamilton. Um, It is so dry. It is so hard to get through. Yeah, hence if we could teach history through musicals. You're right, the fact that he, Lin Manuel Miranda, like, I can't even believe how he, like, figured out how to write. His play from that book like I can't know that he's yeah, and then a step further The rapping parts each rapping part. Yeah in one of the songs it showcases every like era of rap No in a style. It's phenomenal. It is phenomenal genius. Okay. All right enough about this. Okay, we'll do it We'll do a podcast on Hamilton. Okay, go on Sorry, sorry, sorry. Well, I mean, it's good background info to set us up and all, but can you give us a story behind the actual real story? I need the inspo behind it all, cause a bunch of 30 year olds didn't really dream this up on their own. No way. Calling bullshit. Hell no. You are totally right. They had some help. Like, serious help. Like, we cannot give the founding fathers all the credit here. Also, why do we call them fathers? They all weren't fathers. Some of them were like, twelve. Okay, right? I guess that's the name you get when you start a nation. Cause you're like, basically a badass. I mean, I guess you could call them founding badasses. Maybe that would have been better. Uh, I like that. While you're rewriting history, I'm going to keep going, okay? I'm not rewriting history. I'm just giving them new names. I like founding Bada. I'm agreeing with you. I like that. It's not rewriting. It's just retitling. There's a difference. Okay, you're retitling history. So, basically, like, all the way back then, America was already stealing Netflix passwords. Like, in the 1770s, and working behind the scenes to come out with something big. They were stealing ideas. Are you ready? Ready. Okay, starting first with Ancient Greece. Of course, because everything starts in Greece. Well, they were smart. What do you want me to say? It was all the philosophers running around in togas and smoking dope and shit. And by philosophers, you mean Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates? Uh, actually, no, believe it or not. It was like before their time, even. You know, I know, I'm pretty sure I said like last episode, but I just feel like we keep going farther and farther back in history. Yeah. And how it affects, everything. I know. To this day. But sorry, in my defense, last episode, we were back like 2, 500 years. Here, we're only going to 500 BC. But yes. History matters. Oh my God, it does. Okay. Okay. So actually no, it was before their time. It was actually some dude named Kleisthenes, who lived around 500 B. C. Then, 100 years later, Plato, Aristotle, and Socrates came along and told everybody it was a good idea. But, that it had its flaws and everyone should change it. Which did influence things, but they didn't come up with the initial idea, so no credit. So they're plagiarizers? Well, I mean, are they technically plagiarizers? Because they were explaining that it wasn't all great, but they like, you know what? They were influencers. They had more, they had more influence. Right, that's what they were. That's true, fair, fair. But you gotta give Cleisthenes like all the credit, because he was the one who really planted the seed of democracy. but patriarchy and all. His idea of democracy was really more like an exclusive club where only certain people got to vote, and for sure no women and no slaves. Well, without the women, it was doom from the start. Preach it, sister. Totally. Um, I'm just telling you that's the origins of democracy right there. Cleisthenes, all white men get to vote, what do you want me to say, 500 BC. Who would have known? It started then. Alright, so, fast forward to medieval England and the Magna Carta. Ooh, I remember the Magna Carta. Um, I actually was just teaching the girls about it the other day. Uh, you're amazing. See, this is what I love about you. You are raising geniuses. You are amazing. I mean, settle down. I'm just trying to give them a good start, and we'll see what they remember by, you know, the time they're like 12. No, I don't care. As far as moms go, you're awesome, and you're doing things so much different. Oh, thanks. Thanks. Okay. Okay. Anyway, Magna Carta. So, it's 1215 A. D., and King John is in charge. And he's sort of like, Back in school the guy in the group project who takes credit for everything, but never does any work. You know that guy of course, we know that guy Everyone knows that guy. Like, he's raising taxes left and right to cover up for all his screw ups, and basically the nobles A. K. A. Rich people? Uh, thank you. Uh, are totally fed up. So the nobles march his ass down in some field somewhere and hand him the Magna Carta, which was basically just a fancy name for a list of rules that said, hey, you can't just do whatever you want anymore. You can't throw people into jail for no reason. And by the way Ask us before you raise taxes, please, and if you don't, we'll kill you, so sign this. So since King John was allergic to dying, he signs it, but he's like super salty about it. Now he doesn't follow it or anything because he's still above the law, but it's a big deal because it's the first time someone told a king, dude. Enough is enough. You have limits. Alright, so to sum it all up here, the Magna Carta is basically like a medieval check yourself before you wreck yourself for the king. Kind of short term drama, long term game changer kind of thing. Perfect. Nailed it. The Magna Carta, of course, later inspired our forefathers ideas about people's Fairness for all. And ultimately, the U. S. Constitution. So far we got Cleisthenes and the Magna Carta. What else we got? Okay, so next we got John Locke. Ooh, the guy from Lost. That's a great show. Uh, yeah, sure, the guy from Lost. I was just kidding, chill out. But it was a good show. Except the ending. That kind of sucked. Okay. Okay. It totally did. We agree. Right. That's a whole other episode. Okay. But this John Locke, who, of course, the lost actor was actually named for, was the super genius British philosopher who basically said, uh, government exists to serve the people, not the other way around. He talked a lot about natural rights. Like life, liberty, and property. Hmm, sounds kind of familiar. Uh, yeah, and actually Thomas Jefferson took those ideas and basically jacked them up on steroids when he wrote Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness into the Declaration of Independence. We're getting somewhere. Yeah. Okay, then finally you have the Enlightenment. The Founding Fathers were huge fans of the Enlightenment. Like? The whole Enlightenment, or just parts of the Enlightenment? Uh, the whole thing, man. Think of the Enlightenment as the 1700s version of, like, a TED Talk revolution. And this dude, Montesquieu, was the Simon Cynic of the time. I love him. Right? Who doesn't? Ted Talks, Simon Cynic. He's the best. Montesquieu basically handed us the idea about separating government into branches. So like the judicial, legislative, and executive? Uh, yeah. Ensuring one guy couldn't make all the decisions. So, to make sure we're tracking here, we need to thank Cleisthenes, the Magna Carta, John Locke, and Montesquieu for getting us where we are today. Precisely! So how did all these, uh, drunk people be so wise to take from all these four? Uh, they did a lot of reading. Hmm. But one of them was like a brewer. I don't know. The other one was an orphan. They read! A lot! I guess. What do you want me to say? Alright, alright, alright. Okay, okay, okay. We're Googling this stuff. Okay. Thanks for the origin story. I wish high school history class made it that easy to learn. But, oh well. C'est la vie. You know what we should do? What? I think we should be high school history teachers. And I don't mean like in separate classes. I think me and you literally like tie team back and forth. Yeah, we co No, Pete, that's not how it gets This could be revolutionary. We could, we could co teach history. I mean Okay, sorry. We could alright, fine, whatever. Alright, so now that we know where democracy came from, go ahead and tell us a story about how America started to apply it to their new budding country. Okay. Little, little baby. The little, the little budding country. Um, so it all starts when America wins, the Revolutionary War. Uh, and now it's time to basically put their money where their mouth is. So, they're essentially on their own. So, cue the Articles of Confederation. Our first real try at government, people. And let's just say, that was a little bit rough, to say the least. Totally fugacious. I think Well played. Right. Didn't last. I love that. Okay. Think of it as like a rough draft that got like a C maybe even a D. Wait, why? I don't really remember this part. I'm pretty sure I just fell asleep through all of history because I find it extremely boring. Okay, okay, okay, so basically the Articles of Confederation gave most of the power to the individual states, which left the national government with, like, no authority. So they couldn't tax anybody, they couldn't regulate trade, they couldn't even pay their soldiers. It was like trying to run a country with monopoly money. They literally had to beg the states for money. I sort of remember that. Okay, yeah. So, they all kind of see this, like, writing on the wall that this shit ain't gonna work. So, in 1787, they plan this big study sesh in Philadelphia to knock out some real writing. Ooh, enter Alexander Hamilton. Yes, let's go! And federalism! I love it! Okay, shit just got real, people. So, Hamilton argues the only way that this was gonna work was with a strong central government, which totally put him at odds with a bunch of dudes who thought that a strong national government would screw with individual liberties and state's rights. Like Thomas Jefferson. Totally. Okay. I only remember all of this because of Hamilton. So wait, so explain federalism, please. Like, in one sentence. Okay, so, federalism is a system. of government. Am I on the right track so far? So far, so good. Where power is divided between a central authority and then individual states. So it allows each group to govern over specific areas, but then they also share some responsibilities. Okay, so, so Did that make sense? Perfect. So far, so good. So, why wouldn't people then advocate for it? It seems to, make a lot of sense to me. I'm sure some people did, but I'm sure other people were freaking out because it was more tied to the idea of states rights, which is where the Articles of Confederation came from in the first place. So no one is right or wrong here, just different opinions, kind of like today. Oh my god, I wish I was alive back then. I don't know. If you do, you probably would've died. You would've died in a dual. Absolutely. Absolutely. Wait, are you saying I couldn't win a duel Maybe I wouldn't be able to pull the gun out fast. Whatcha you talking about? I don't know. I just think you would've just, I just, you would've been shot. I think it's so cool that everything mattered back then. Like everything mattered. I feel like it's a lot more deep thinking back then. What are we doing wrong? I dunno. Do you have any weed? I don't. I need some weed. All right. Do you do weed often? No, I actually, believe it or not, I've never smoked weed. I've never broken a bone. You've never smoked weed? I've never smoked weed. Have you ever had an edible? Have you ever consumed? I've had, so we have to talk about that. Yes, I've had a few gummies. Oh, okay. And it went very badly. Oh, me too. Yeah, yeah. It was a bad trip. Oh, yeah. All right. Well, we'll share the experience then. All right. Okay. So anyway, we got to fast forward now a four months. They're done. U. S. Constitution born and they are staring at an A plus paper, that was now controlled by a strong central government Complete with three branches, legislative, executive, and judicial, each with checks and balances to keep any one branch from getting too power hungry. Basically meaning no more states running the show. Well, states still had a say. But the Constitution put Uncle Sam at the head of the table. Yeah, Hamilton, because he was in charge of the treasury. By the way, Uncle Sam, like where did we get Uncle Sam from? Oh, I don't know. We gotta Google. That's a good question. We gotta Google where he came from. That's a good question. But surprise! Everyone was not thrilled with the new setup. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but hold on. What? So, Uncle Sam came from Samuel Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy, New York, who supplied the U. S. Army with beef during the War of 1812? I remember, somewhere I learned this a long time ago. Yeah, but why is Uncle Sam? I don't know. We associate him with America, America. We associate him with America. No, with IRS taking my money We do poor uncle Sam. Huh? I don't have no idea. Okay, we'll keep googling. All right, that's pretty good Okay a bunch of people start freaking out that the powerful central government was gonna be the same oppressive crap as the British crown that they Just basically kicked out They had no way of really knowing one way or another if it would really be different. True. So, to fix it, genius James Madison drafted the Bill of Rights in 1791 to add to the Constitution so everyone would chill out and get back to, like, farming or carpentry or whatever the hell was popular back in, like, the 1790s. So the Bill of Rights this is what changed everything totally did how okay So basically like the first ten amendments which were the Bill of Rights were one giant promise that central government wouldn't overstep It protected people with the whole idea of freedom of speech the press religion the right to bear arms And a bunch of other important shit that made people realize that this time it was going to be different. And, voila, just like that, the United States went from a loosely connected group of 13 or so bickering little states to a unified and mildly dysfunctional, I might add, democracy. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely a step up from the articles of Confederation Train Wreck. But did it stay like that for the next 200 years or was it fallacious? Oh my god. You're killing it with cia. I mean, it's a good word. Good work. Well, 'cause you asked me in the last episode, you were like, dude, just do adjectives. So I like, oh, fair. See, easy. So this time I did random word A. Yeah, I did adjective. See how easy it was? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. It just, it flows so much better. Okay. Alright. Got it. Sorry. Alright. But. Did we have to upgrade to get to where we are today? Or, maybe, hold on, strike that. I guess upgrade is kind of a relative term because maybe you could argue it's, we've degraded? Upgraded? But, has our democracy change so much since its inception? Oh, it changed. We're on like version 10. 0, like a lot of crap happened in the last couple hundred years. I mean, yes, a lot of crap has definitely happened. But I mean the basis is all the same. The basis is the same, but we're going to slog through 200 years right now. Are you going to do it on fast forward? Of course I am, I'm just totally kidding okay, so after the Bill of Rights in 1791, everyone was chillin for like 50 or 60 years until the Civil War, when people realized we hadn't quite figured it all out yet. So post war amendments 13, 14, and 15 were added. And they were kind of a big deal, like abolishing slavery, promising equal protection under the law, and finally giving black men the right to vote. I guess because women still didn't matter back then. Right? Apparently women didn't matter until 1920. And the 19th amendment. It's nuts. History is crazy. Honestly, it shows us how backward we all are. Do you know what's crazy? What? My grandma was born only four years after women got the right to vote. That's insane. That's not even like that long ago. Right. Like she was just alive. Remember how I talked about how history ties things together? Like when you talk about your grandma. It literally blows my mind when I think, like, when you can bring that back to something real that you know about. Yeah. And that the fact that women, for thousands and thousands and thousands of years. Didn't have a voice. Don't even get me started. Right. No, it's terrible. It is absolutely terrible. Okay, anyway. We suck. That's how backwards we all are. I mean, it was very patriarchal. That's true. It still is. It's true. It still is. It is. And my sister, I love her to death, uh, tells me that I have to be the guy that, starts to talk to other guys about that. And that's, hard for me to figure out how to do. Because I'm not, like, Incredibly passionate, but like I incredibly get it 100 percent I totally get it I just have to like be more vocal and more like of an advocate for it I think it's gonna be interesting in 50 years If I'm still alive, but I mean alive, I don't know 25 years old, huh? I wish Well, let's say, let's say, like, 30 years. By the way, our listeners, our listeners need to know that you're, like, 25. Because that will help with, viewership and listenership. Do you want me to lie? Is this a, is this a level 7 lie? No, this is exaggerated. This is a level 3. Alright, fine, sorry. Okay, everybody, Amanda's 30. Okay, go ahead. Eight. In 30 years, if we look back on things today, I bet you were going to wonder how we tolerated the things we are currently tolerating and how much we've changed or hopefully we've changed and moved forward and progressed. That's how it all works. Right. If you look back the last hundred years, we look back and go, holy crap, I can't believe this. It's insane, right? Especially in the last hundred years was a struggle for civil rights, right? So here's the kick in the pants though, right? Like just because we passed all of these amendments It doesn't mean they were actually respected or anything, right? You remember the whole idea we were talking about when laws get passed or things about nobody really does crap about them. They just like oh, hey, we'll we'll do this like edict And then nobody listens anyway, they're a bunch of dicks about the whole thing anyway. I mean, it does take a long while for things to kind of catch on and to be accepted, right? Again, civil rights. Right. Jim Crow laws. You remember Jim Crow laws? A hundred year struggle for civil rights. It wasn't until 1960. Specifically, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that the U. S. took any real step towards enforcing the idea that democracy means everyone should have a say. I'm going to go back before I go forward. So, it's in, what, what did I just say? It freaking, the 13th Amendment. Was when black people had the right to vote? Yes. It wasn't until 1965 that we really put it in. A hundred friggin years later. Dude, seriously. This is nuts. I'm off my soapbox. Alright. Then, thank the 16th Amendment for why we lose half our paycheck to the government. Thank you very much. And the 18th and 21st to no more alcohol. Oops, my bad, yo. Let's have alcohol again, please. Right? Then the 20th Amendment fixed the months of waiting for a new administration to take office. And the 24th and 26th Amendment made sure we didn't have to pay to vote and lowered the voting age to 18, because if you're old enough to go to war, well I guess you'd better be able to vote. Probably a good, good rule of thumb. And yes, Amanda, we actually had to pay to vote. You had to pay? You had to pay. What? There was a voting tax. Like a, yes. It was insane. Right. It's crazy. And then finally with the 25th and 27th amendments, we made sure we had backup plans if the president loses his shit and that Congress couldn't give itself a pay raise without it taking effect until the next election cycle. I mean, that's a good way to have no funny business. Yeah, Because probably up until then there was some shady shit going on for sure. I mean, there's still probably some shady shit going on today. Of course there is. But there's, is there less shady shit going on? I don't think so. Oh, wait, we weren't going to politic. Okay, let's not politic. Well, if we're not politicking, I'd say our democracy is a lot more diverse for sure. Um, but also I think it's super complicated, right? Voter suppression tactics, debates over gerrymandering and the influence of all the money floating around, keeping things interesting, for sure. If, uh, by interesting you mean messy. Yes, I mean, you told me no politicking, so I tried to like, limit my word count. Fine, fine, fine. Two sides of the same coin, right? Uh, messy, interesting, I think so. Look, if there is any good news that came from all of it, with advancement in technology, we have way more ways than ever before to participate in democracy. But the real challenge is, how do we keep ensuring fair access and representation? I mean, I feel like that's the new conundrum. Oh, absolutely. I agree. Well, there you have it, the story of how the U. S. decided to roll the dice on democracy, with a little help from our philosophical friends. A shout out to, uh, Kleisthenes? Was that his name? I hope so. Let's go! I hope so. What's a nickname for Kleist? Hey, Kleist, that'd be pretty cool. Yep, okay. I have nothing. I guess it's a journey that started with a revolution, borrowed from history's greatest hits, and has been a work in progress ever since. But hey, we've been a little too sophisticated about checks, balances, and amendments, so why don't we lighten things up? Before we wrap up, how about some fun facts that'll make me the most interesting person at my next trivia night? Um, you're already the most interesting person amanda. I mean for Other reasons and knowing fun facts. Well, are you ready for this? I am I was born ready. All right, here we go Okay, uh fun fact one. Did you know on september 17th 1787? Only 39 of the 55 delegates to the constitutional convention signed the actual document Like just on that day or ever? Like ever. How did that happen? Like, yeah, right. Some people refused to sign. Oh, I guess that would make sense. But who? Okay. So Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts and George Mason of Virginia, refused to sign because they were freaking out about the document and the way it was written. They thought it gave government way too much power without doing enough to protect individual rights. You remember the whole federalism thing? So they were anti federalism. So George Mason, for instance, was pretty insistent on having a Bill of Rights included. And when that didn't happen right away, he was out. And Edmund Randolph of Virginia, just didn't like the whole structure in the first place. So he just like, boycotted it. Just flat out. And then some people weren't even around just due to personal reasons or business reasons. They had to leave early. Like, by the way, business reasons? Really? I can't, I can't sign the document. I have to go to a business meeting. I mean, they also traveled probably by like, horse and buggy, so it's fine. I don't know what to tell you. Like whatever why like 16 people didn't sign it. Okay, but then how did it stand? Okay, so it just ended up being ratified without their signatures But like it wasn't all for naught because we got the Bill of Rights added Super fast, thanks to all these holdouts because it was like dude, we're not agreeing unless And so, Bill of Rights were born, James Madison, there we go, alright. I mean, I do like the Bill of Rights, so, that's nice. Bill of Rights, super important. Freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, the right to arm bears, you know, the whole thing. Okay, um, fun fact two. Did you know that the original Constitution is only five pages long? I did not. Right. The shortest governing document of any country contains only seven articles and twenty seven amendments. And, super fun fact, I know how you love super fun facts. I do. It's also the oldest. What do you mean the oldest? The oldest. Norway comes in second and was ratified in 1814. Wait, wait, wait. Oldest. That's impossible. All these countries are way older than ours. Their documents have to be way older. Okay, so. Their government's way older. I totally GTS. Listen, I looked it up. So the US Constitution is in fact the oldest continuously operating charter of government This means that while other countries have older historical documents, like charters, legal codes, declarations, all that kind of shit, the US Constitution is unique in that it has served as the basis for the nation's government without being replaced or rewritten. ever. Countries like the United Kingdom, for example, have older traditions of governance, but they lack a single written constitution like that of the U. S. They rely on a combination of laws, conventions, historical documents, shit like that. Meanwhile, other nations have written constitutions, but have changed or replaced them over time. So the U. S. Constitution has been amended, allowing it to hold the title of the world's oldest written national constitution still in active use today. That's pretty rad I think it totally that's like national pride, right? That's bitchin. Okay, uh, fun fact three Three Latin phrases appear in the Constitution. Do you know what they are? Nope. Why not? You didn't take Latin? No, but my children are so we should add a next Latin That's good. Yeah. Like four years. I did, I thought when you were like 10 in high school. Oh, okay. All right. So we have a pro tempore. We have ex post facto and habeas corpus 'cause Latin is cool people. But maybe do you want to tell everyone what they mean? Uh, I don't know, like seize the day or something? No, that's carpe diem. We all know that one. Okay, but at least it's Latin, so I should get like partial credit? It is Latin. It's true. Okay, fine, whatever. Just go ahead and tell us what they mean. Okay, alright, okay. So, pro tempore literally means for the time being or temporarily. And in the Constitution, this phrase is used in the context of president pro tempore. Or pro tem, of the Senate, article 1 section 3. This is the person who presides over the Senate when the vice president, who is the Senate's official president, is absent. It's essentially a temporary or stand in leadership role. Ex post facto means after the fact. And in the Constitution, Article 1 section 9 and 10, thank you very much, it refers to laws that make an act illegal after it has been committed. The Constitution specifically prohibits Congress and the states ex post facto laws. The idea is that you can't be punished for something that wasn't illegal At the time you did it. I got it. Okay. That tracks? Right. Totally does. Right? Because why would you do it? Oh, oh, I did that. I murdered that person and now it's illegal to murder that person? Damn. Okay. And finally, habeas corpus translates to, you shall have the body. And in the constitution, article one, section nine, this legal principle allows a person detained or imprisoned to be brought before a court to determine whether their detention is actually lawful. It's a key protection against unlawful imprisonment, ensuring that the government must justify the reasons for holding someone. So this Latin shit is pretty important. Why doesn't everyone take a line? Well, why is it not in our schools? They should or at least we should take like eight words of Latin. So we at least know these Fun fact four. Are you ready? Ready. Okay. Do you know who is known as the father of the Constitution? James Madison. Uh, thank you very much. Okay. Who's known as the father of our country? That has to be George Washington. He was first. Two for two. Okay. Hamilton. It taught me a lot. Right, right. Okay. I love this. Okay. What about the father of the Declaration of Independence? Oh, was that Jefferson? That was Jefferson. Okay. Oh, shit. You're three for three. Okay. Last one. Okay. What was Alexander Hamilton known as? Oh, come on. Do you know that? Yeah, the father of the American financial system. Holy shit You just four four foured it. I'm telling you. Okay, by the way, we have history if history was taught Oh shit. In the way of Hamilton. I feel like a lot of people would. You would know it. Will they be more interested? Is that what we're trying to do right now? This is what we're trying to do with our podcast. It is, it is what we're trying to do. We're trying to Hamiltonize, TM, Hamiltonize our podcast. I just TM'd that shit. We have so many trademarks. We need a lawyer I think we need a lawyer. You better find one. Okay. All right. Fun fact five. There were 85 articles written in the Federalist, which basically were the entire reason why the Constitution got ratified in the first place. Without them, we would have been like, okay, do you know who wrote the articles in the Federalist? Yeah, again, Hamilton. Oh my god, fine. So, James Madison. Yes. Alexander Hamilton. Yes. Uh, and some other guy. Like, John, John Jay. John Jay! John Jay. John Jay. Oh, because that's in the best song ever. So like, how many did each of them write, though? So John Jay wrote 5, James Madison wrote 29, and Alexander Hamilton wrote the other 51. Do you have it and listen to the song non stop from the soundtrack? I love that song. I love the soundtrack. And Lin Manuel Miranda is a genius. We know this already. Yes, we've already stated this. I think you need to hashtag him so he knows how much we love him. I think we should TM that too. Like when we do something smart, we'll be like, we just Lin Manuel Miranda that shit. We should use him as a verb. Okay. Fun fact six. So the Constitutional Convention lasted from May 25, 1787 through September 17, 1787, four friggin months. And George Washington served as the president of the convention. But did you know that he did not speak during any of the proceedings until the convention's final day? What a total stud. That's how you lead, man. You just let the power of silence speak volumes. Wait, wait, wait, wait. There's more. The delegates at the convention stayed there the whole four months like they didn't even go home But how many of them lived around there in the first place? Okay, good question. I actually looked this up So check this out So 12 of the 55 delegates lived in or around Greater Philadelphia area but the other 43 How did you, like, sack it up for four months to get through this shit? They just stayed in, like, boarding houses or inns or bed and breakfast or something. Brothels. Brothels. Okay, number seven. Okay, so this one's actually fun. Like, this is like a fun, fun fact. Like, this is a fun, fun fact, TM. Uh, during the convention, George Washington would sit in a chair that had a representation of a half sun on the top, like the horizon with the half sun, sticking out. But during frustrating moments of the convention, Ben Franklin was regularly caught staring at it. When he was asked why, he said that he was unable to decide if the sun was actually rising or setting. So how did he decide? So after the Constitution was signed, he decided the sun was rising. And the chair is now known as the Rising Sun Armchair. Huh. Amanda, you can still see it in Independence Hall. Well, we should go see it. Duh, duh, duh, I did. Uh, very much. Well, I should go see it. Well, no, because you're too busy going to like, all 63 national parks. It's true. okay, fun fact eight. Do you know who the oldest person was to sign the Constitution? Yeah, dude. Ben Franklin. We did an episode on him. Uh, yeah, but was that a fun fact? No, but he was old when it all happened. Comparatively to like Hamilton. Whatever. Okay, he was 81. Okay. Okay. Do you know who the youngest was? No idea. Okay, so this hotshot named Jonathan Dayton. He was only 26! Who's Jonathan Dayton? I don't know, but he was probably totally He didn't make it into Hamilton. He was probably totally cool. Okay, my daughter's almost 26. This guy signed the, this guy signed the U. S. Constitution. My daughter's like drinking Starbucks. What's happening? It's a little scary. But again, they were all Badasses? Yeah. The founding badasses? They were the founding badasses. I love this. Okay, are you ready? Number nine? Yep. Is this too many? I have like three more. Okay, go. Okay. Did you know that Rhode Island was the only state that refused to send a delegate to the Constitutional Convention? And it was also the last state to ratify the Constitution on May 29th, 1790. Alright, but then who was the first? Uh, Delaware was the first. Rhode Island the last number ten. Do you know the name that they were going to give the president before they picked, POTUS? Like, President of the United States? Mmm, Top Banana. Top. Head cheese. I like that. Wait. Joe Banana. Yeah! Shout out to Joe Banana! Let's go! Evans to rock! Okay. One of the first was, are you ready for this? Yep. His Highness the President of the United States of America and Protector of their Liberties. That's a mouthful. Um. Yeah, I'm glad we picked President. Have you seen Game of Thrones? Why do you keep asking me if I watch TV shows or movies? Can you just watch TV! Okay, okay. Watch it! Okay, anyway, it reminds me of Daenerys the whole time when she says her name out loud, like every time she meets someone. I am Daenerys Targaryen, the first of her name, the Unburnt, the Queen of Merion, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Breaker of Chains, Mother of Dragons. It's insane. She goes on and on and on and on and on every time she meets someone. Seems excessive. Uh, but it's excellent. You need to watch Game of Thrones. Okay. And, fun fact, final. Are you ready? Fun fact, final. Fun fact, final? TM. Okay. Last but not least, the official copy of the U. S. Constitution contains an incorrect word. Well, an incorrect spelling of a word. In Article 1, Section 10, It uses it's with an apostrophe when it should be it's with no apostrophe. Hmm. Tsk, tsk. Right? I agree. But a lot of people think it was the word choose instead of choose. Choose C H U S E instead of choose C H O O S E. But that was actually considered acceptable at the time. There were two alternative spellings. Same thing with Pennsylvania. A lot of people think it's that too. Uh, because they spell it with one N. But in fact, both single N and double N in Pennsylvania were acceptable back then. So the actual. Misspelling is it's who would have known all right a little ticky tack, but there we have it That's it some fun little nugs about the US Constitution that you can hopefully impress your friends with Love it. And I love the U. S. Constitution, wrapped up in all its glory. From the bold ideas of the Founding Fathers. Uh, sorry, did you mean, um, Founding Badasses? Sure, from the Founding Badasses to the amendments that keep the whole thing relevant today. It's kind of like a living, breathing document that's managed to stay in the game for over 230 years, evidently. So, raise a glass to that, am I right? Cheers, totally, cha ching! Or cling cling? Cling cling, yeah. Why did I say cha ching? What am I doing? But before we close out, why don't you give us three or four things that we need to know to make sure we got the most out of this episode, Pete? Uh, let's do it. So, first, go vote! That is by far the most direct way to engage with democracy. Uh, good point, and I would be horrified if people didn't know that. I'm just saying, get out there, man. Okay. Make sure your voice is heard at every election. That's true. No excuses all the time. Local, national, state, everything. Go do it. Let's go. Second, specifically about the U. S. Constitution, go read the Federalist Papers. I realize this might not be a page turner, but remember, these essays are the original arguments for the Constitution in the first place. They're a great way to get into the minds of our founding badasses. Just make sure to have a glass of whiskey handy, or you're gonna lose your shit. Or your drink of choice. Okay, yeah, good point. Uh, third, watch the documentary Thirteenth. It's amazing. Ava DuVernay did excellent. It's about race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States, and how laws and policies can shape democracy over time. I highly recommend it. Did you see this thing? I did not. Oh, it's excellent. Per the youth. Oh, totally. No, this is a documentary though. This would be right up your alley. You would love this. It would probably be something that I it shook me to the core, Amanda. Okay, fourth, visit a local town hall or city council meeting. I know it might sound like watching paint dry, but these meetings are actually where the local decisions happen and you'll see firsthand how grassroots democracy works. Or doesn't. Totally, good point. But go, because it helps you to learn and understand. And finally, if you don't want to do any of that to get cultured or curious, then just be sure to remember these interesting and relevant details to seem sort of sophisticated. Number one, it's all about power to the people. The U. S. Constitution was drafted in 1787 during the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia to replace the ineffective Articles of Confederation. It's the people who get to choose their leaders through voting, which makes democracy a continuous conversation between citizens and their government. Two, it's all about checks and balances. The Constitution established a federal system with checks and balances to divide power between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches. Translation, no one branch can hog all the power of people. Three, it was influenced by the Enlightenment, particularly John Locke and Montesquieu, who promoted individual rights and the separation of powers. for the Bill of Rights, or the first ten amendments, as we know them, were the shit. Ratification of the Constitution required the approval of nine out of thirteen states, leading to the inclusion of the Bill of Rights to address concerns about individual liberties. They protect our essential freedoms, like speech, religion, and the right to a fair trial. Think of these as the, greatest hits of American liberties, ensuring that no matter who's in power, certain rights can't ever be taken away. Cheers to that. Thank goodness. And finally, thank God for the amendment process. Built to adapt, slowly but surely, it ensures the system stays relevant as society evolves. Adding amendments ain't easy. It takes approval by two thirds of Congress and three fourths of state legislatures. But this flexibility has enabled the Constitution to expand and adjust to modern challenges. From ending slavery to giving women the right to vote. It's proof that even for a centuries old document, there is still room for growth. Forefathers were literally geniuses. Totally. Or super just drunk. And enlightened. Both of those. That happens when you get drunk. Your best thoughts come. All right, and there you have it, dear listeners. The origins of American democracy, from the scrappy beginnings under the Articles of Confederation, to the drafting of the U. S. Constitution that gave us a real shot at a functioning government. It wasn't exactly a smooth ride. More like a bumpy stagecoach ride with a few detours and some heated debates. But I was, I I like that. I like the way you threw that in there. Yeah. Yeah. But in the end, the founding fathers pulled it off. They did the founding bad asses. They left us with the constitution. That's still the law of the land today, proving that sometimes when you throw a bunch of passionate, argumentative people in a room, you get something that can actually last. They were all in the room where it happened. They, the room, the room where it happened. We like to think we've shared just enough information to make you either a flaming nuisance or a little more sophisticated to your fellow humans. Sort of thanks for sticking around and remember, democracy wasn't built in a day, but it sure makes for a good story. If you enjoyed this episode and found it particularly interesting, don't forget to subscribe. Please subscribe people. Subscribe. Leave a review. Leave a review. Do something. Interact in some way. If you're still listening at this point. Like do something. Right. And share with your peeps. So until next time, keep questioning, keep learning, and maybe crack open that constitution for a little light reading. Be surprised by what's inside.
