The Unlikely Union: "A house divided against itself cannot stand."
Sep 29, 2025
11:23
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Franklin's Call To Doubt Infallibility
Benjamin Franklin urged delegates to doubt their own infallibility and sign the Constitution despite flaws.
Greg Jackson plays Franklin's speech from Sept 17, 1787 to show practical compromise created a functioning union amid heated debate.
insights INSIGHT
Union Built By Repeated Compromise
Greg Jackson argues the union's strength came from finding common ground among diverse states and repeated compromises.
He emphasizes the Constitution was imperfect but closer to a workable union than the Articles of Confederation.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Campus Violence Sparked Personal Conviction
Greg Jackson recounts political violence on his campus at Utah Valley University and its national aftershock.
He describes personal shock and how partisan commentators turned his campus into a talking point, intensifying his conviction against retreating from civic life.
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Professor Greg Jackson shares a personal message about our politically divided times and announces more tour dates for his live show: The Unlikely Union.
This show is not recorded for the podcast. Go to HTDSpodcast.com/live-shows for more information and dates.
Prof. Jackson’s national tour has already been to half of the 50 states, so-called red and blue states, big cities and small towns. What he’s encountered is everyday people, regardless of their political stripe coming together to share in the telling of the extraordinary history of the first century of our nation. That period from fiery revolution through bloody civil war is– not despite of, but because of its ugly and all but insurmountable challenges– a consoling reminder that we have been through far, far worse times and much greater division than is even imaginable today. And it's a cautionary tale. Our great strength is our union and our great peril is our division.
The words of the Republican candidate from Illinois for the US Senate spoken in 1858 ring true today: "A house divided against itself cannot stand." You're damn right, Abe.
History That Doesn't Suck