meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
Ben Franklin's World

261 Creating the Fourth Amendment (Doing History 4)

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

History, Society & Culture

4.41.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 October 2019

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution doesn’t always make headlines, but it’s an amendment that undergirds foundational rights. It’s also an amendment that can show us a lot about the intertwined nature between history and American law.  
 In this 3rd episode of our 4th Doing History series, we explore the early American origins of the Fourth Amendment with Thomas Clancy, a Professor Emeritus at the University of Mississippi School of Law and an expert on the Fourth Amendment. Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/261 Series Resources Lauren Duval, "Domestic Tranquility: Privacy and the Household in Revolutionary America" Joseph Adelman, "Articles of Amendment: Copying "The" Bill of Rights" Gautham Rao, Friends in All the Right Places: The Newest Legal History Doing History 4 Legal Lexicon; or A Useful List of Terms You Might Not Know"  "Doing History 4: Bibliography"    Sponsor Links Omohundro Institute The Ben Franklin's World Shop Complementary Episodes Episode 141: A Declaration in Draft Episode 145: Rosemarie Zagarri, Mercy Otis Warren Episode 161: Smuggling and the American Revolution Episode 229: Patrick Griffin, The Townshend Moment Episode 245: Celebrating the Fourth Episode 259: The Bill of Rights & How Legal Historians Work Episode 260: Creating the First Ten Amendments Listen! Apple Podcasts Spotify Google Podcasts Ben Franklin's World iOS App Ben Franklin's World Android App Helpful Links Join the Ben Franklin's World Facebook Group Ben Franklin’s World Twitter: @BFWorldPodcast Ben Franklin's World Facebook Page Sign-up for the Franklin Gazette Newsletter *Books purchased through the links on this post will help support the production of Ben Franklin's World. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Ben Franklin's world is a production of the Oma Hundro Institute.

0:04.3

John Adams to William Tudor Sr.

0:12.3

29 March 1817.

0:15.0

Dear sir, the scene is the council chamber of the old townhouse in Boston.

0:22.0

The date is the month of February, 1761, nine years before you came to me in

0:28.8

Col Lane, as this was five years before you entered college.

0:33.4

That council chamber was as respectable an apartment

0:37.6

and more so too in proposition

0:39.9

than the House of Lords or House of Commons in Great Britain,

0:43.7

or that in Philadelphia in which the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776.

0:50.6

In this chamber, near the fire, were seated five judges with Lieutenant Governor Thomas

0:56.1

Hutchinson at their head as Chief Justice, all in their new fresh robes of Searles English

1:02.3

cloth in their broadbands and immense judicial

1:05.8

wigs.

1:07.4

In this chamber was seated at a long table all the barristers of Boston and its neighboring county of Middlesex in their gowns, bands, and tie wigs.

1:18.5

You now have the stage and the scenery.

1:21.6

Next follows a narration of the subject. I rather think that we

1:26.0

lawyers ought to call it of Ben Franklin's world. Hello and I'm your host Liz Kove.

1:44.7

The podcast dedicated to helping you learn more about how the people and events of our early

1:49.7

American past have shaped the present-day world we live in. And I'm your host Liz Kovart.

1:55.0

The Bill of Rights.

1:57.0

The Bill of Rights is the term that we use to refer to the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Liz Covart, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Liz Covart and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.