Dec 15, 2016
In this podcast episode, we feature a rebroadcast of a radio show that celebrated the 150th anniversary of the original Bill of Rights approved by Congress and ratified by the states. The dramatic timing of the show was that it was aired live on December 15, 1941, just one week after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. At the end of the radio show, President Roosevelt addressed the nation and stated why war was needed against Japan to guarantee our constitutional rights as free people. That speech was shared during the previous episode of this podcast series. A special thanks to Dennis Humphreys of the Journey’s Into American History Podcast for granting permission to use this historic recording. His podcast can be subscribed through iTunes and other podcast services.
In this portion of the radio show, you will hear the voices of famous Hollywood actors portraying average Americans in the late 1700s who debated reasons for passage of the Bill of Rights, its importance to average Americans, and why war might be needed to protect its freedoms. One of the voices you will hear will be Corporal Jimmy Stewart. After the Pearl Harbor bombing, Mr. Stewart immediately enlisted in the military like many other actors at that time. By the end of the war, Mr. Stewart was piloting bombing raids over Germany. He would eventually retire from the United States Air Force Reserves with the rank of Brigadier General, the highest-ranking actor in military history.