Hi, I'm Jeff Sickinga, executive director of the Ashbrook Center, and this is the American

idea, where we discuss the ideas, people, and events that have made America what it is today.

We believe that by understanding our history and our principles, we can better

live up to the promise of the American founding and preserve our ongoing experiment in self-government.

Welcome to the American Idea. I want to welcome everyone to this episode of the American Idea.

Today we're going to be talking about the Federalist.

The Federalist papers, as they're sometimes called, perhaps the most famous work of

American political thought ever written, certainly the most influential defense of the

Constitution written at the time of the American founding or probably ever since.

We're going to be talking about this as part of our series on America 250, which is our conversations

about the principles and institutions of the American

founding and their legacy throughout the course of America's 250 years of history.

Today, I'm joined for our episode on How to Read the Federalist by an old friend of mine,

an old friend of the Ashbrook Center and an old friend of this podcast.

Many of you know him and have benefited from his insights on other podcast episodes, in his writings, in his teaching.

And that's Professor Christopher Burkett.

Chris is professor of political science at Ashland University.

He is the chair elect of the Department of History and Political Science at Ashland University. He is the chair elect of the Department of

History and Political Science at Ashland University. And he has been involved in teaching undergraduates,

high school students, teaching in the Master of American History and Government Program,

and in our Teaching American History history seminars, been a guest

on this podcast. Those of you who know Chris know, he is a scholar who deeply knows the U.S.

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