Thomas Ricks: First Principles

Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Thomas Ricks set out to dig into the foundation of the United States by reading the literature that was read by the first four presidents. This took him on a journey from Aristotle to Cicero to John Locke.

He wrote about the influence of classical education on the American republic in his book, First Principle: What America’s Founders Learned from the Greeks and Romans and How That Shaped Our Country.
Host Dr. Alan Campbell speaks with Ricks about the interesting sources of the structure of our government, including how some difficult choices were made based on centuries-old political mistakes. We also hear who of the first presidents Ricks admires most.