The Radio Free Hillsdale Hour

Guests: Joseph Postell & Randy E. Barnett Host Scot Bertram talks with Joseph Postell, associate professor of politics at Hillsdale College, about the origins and development of political conventions. And Randy E. Barnett, Patrick Hotung Professor of Constitutional Law at Georgetown University, chronicles his own development as a constitutional scholar and champion of Originalism and discusses his new memoir A Life for Liberty: The Making of an American Originalist.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Ronald J. Pestritto, Hadley P. Arkes, & David Azerrad 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 lectures in Hillsdale's Constitution 101 Online Course. Hadley P. Arkes, Edward N. Ney professor of Jurisprudence and American Institutions Emeritus at Amherst College, describes the natural law roots of our Constitution. And David Azerrad, assistant professor and research fellow at the Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College, shows how the Constitution's preamble serves as a "political mission statement" for the United States.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Matthew Spalding & Joy Pullmann Host Scot Bertram talks with Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington Operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government at Hillsdale College, about the life and impact of James Madison before his presidency. And Joy Pullmann, executive editor at The Federalist, reveals the efforts by activists to replace patriotism with loyalty to queer politics and shares details from her new book False Flag: Why Queer Politics Mean the End of America.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Courtney Meyet, Mary Margaret Olohan, & Pat Sajak Host Scot Bertram talks with Courtney Meyet, Chairwoman and Associate Professor of Chemistry, about a recent discovery of helium gas in Minnesota. Mary Margaret Olohan, senior reporter for The Daily Signal, tells the often-ignored stories of young people who reverse "gender affirming" hormone treatments and shares details about her new book Detrans: True Stories of Escaping the Gender Ideology Cult. And we hear excerpts from Hillsdale College’s 2024 Commencement by Pat Sajak, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Hillsdale College and former host of Wheel of Fortune, on the subject of civility and lifetime learning.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Wilfred McClay, Scott Walter, & Jordan Hintz Host Scot Bertram talks with Wilfred McClay, the Victor Davis Hanson chair in Classical History and Western Civilization at Hillsdale College, about major events during the Cold War as featured in the “All Thoughts and Things Were Split” chapter in his book Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story. Scott Walter, president of Capital Research Center, describes the vast network of dark money operations influencing American politics and his new book Arabella: The Dark Money Network of Leftist Billionaires Secretly Transforming America. And Jordan Hintz, head coach of the Hillsdale College Shotgun Sports Team, updates us on the squad’s recent success at the national level.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Richard Samuelson, Jonathan Eller, & D.G. Hart   Host Scot Bertram talks with Richard Samuelson, Associate Professor of Government at Hillsdale College's Washington, D.C., campus, about the 250th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. Jonathan Eller, chancellor's professor of English at Indiana University's School of Liberal Arts and author of a three-volume biography on Ray Bradbury, discusses Bradbury’s life and legacy in writing. And D.G. Hart, associate professor of history at Hillsdale College, completes a short series on the life and works of journalist and cultural critic H.L. Mencken. This week, Hart focuses on Menken's political views.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Miles Smith IV & Batya Ungar-Sargon   Host Scot Bertram talks with Miles Smith IV, assistant professor of history at Hillsdale College, about the relationship between church and state in the early American Republic and his new book Religion & Republic: Christian America From the Founding to the Civil War. And Batya Ungar-Sargon, opinions editor at Newsweek, catalogues the betrayal of America’s working class and discusses her new book Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Mark Moyar & Jason Peters Host Scot Bertram talks with Mark Moyar, the William P. Harris Chair of Military History at Hillsdale College, who provides an insider’s view of the federal bureaucracy’s corruption and its failures to protect employees from retaliation, as detailed in his new book, Masters of Corruption: How the Federal Bureaucracy Sabotaged the Trump Presidency. And Jason Peters, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, continues a series on the life and work of farmer-poet Wendell Berry. This time, Peters summarizes Berry's views on technology and gives insight on his essay titled "Why I Am Not Going to Buy a Computer."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Kathleen O'Toole, Corey A. DeAngelis & Kelly Scott Franklin Host Scot Bertram talks with Kathleen O'Toole, Assistant Provost for K-12 Education at Hillsdale College, about the difficulties classical schools face in finding locations for their schools and her article "The Hidden Barrier to School Choice." Corey DeAngelis, senior fellow at The American Federation for Children and a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, explains the roots of the parent-led movement to reform our education system and discusses his new book The Parent Revolution. And Kelly Scott Franklin, associate professor of English at Hillsdale College, returns for his series of Great Moments in the Great Books. This time, he dives into the etymology sections of Herman Melville's Moby Dick.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guests: Victor Davis Hanson & Mark F. McClay Host Scot Bertram talks with Victor Davis Hanson, the Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History at Hillsdale College and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, about civilizations that were completely destroyed by war and his new book The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation. And Mark McClay, assistant professor of Classics at Hillsdale College, discusses the religious rites of the ancient cult of Bacchus and his book The Bacchic Gold Tablets and Poetic Tradition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.