The Making of the American Mind

The Ricochet Podcast

Ricochet

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.7 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

America has a big anniversary coming up. And you know it's set to be grand when people give it a name like "semiquincentenial." To help us prepare for the big 250th, Matthew Spalding, Dean of Hillsdale College's School of Government in DC, joins to discuss his just-published book: The Making of the American Mind. He and the gang get into the story of how a group of iron men came to declare war with and independence from the greatest empire on earth. They delve into the many attacks against the Declaration and the founding that are coming in from all angles these days. Remember, these self-evident truths are not obvious, so order your copy today!

Plus, Señor Lileks wonders what we're supposed to call this escalating series of adventures near Venezuela; the Honorable Hayward weighs in on the stunningly titled Trump v. Slaughter SCOTUS case and Justice KBJ's startling comments; and, lastly, Captain Cooke has a bone to pick with Europe!

- Sound from the open this week: The EU fines X and Trump talks Europe with Politico

Transcript

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0:59.7	The home of your kind of cozy, Denelm, the home of homes.
1:02.9	It's been a year, gentlemen. It's been a year.
1:09.7	I don't know why I was channeling Jack Torrance talking to the bartender in the golden room right there.
1:14.7	Ask not what your country can do for you.
1:17.6	Ask what you can do for your country.
1:22.3	Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall.
1:25.0	It's the Rickashay podcast.
1:25.9	I'm James Lilex.
1:28.2	We've got Charles C.W. Cook, Stephen Hayward. And our guest today is Matthew Spaulding, author of The Making of the American Mind, the story of our
1:33.0	Declaration of Independence. Yes, let's have ourselves a podcast. Today, the commission has issued a fine
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1:45.3	I hate what's happened to London, and I hate what's happened to Paris.
	...

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