Publius: Learn Like a Founder

The Founding Fathers read Cicero before they wrote the Constitution. Publius is a microlearning app that teaches you what they read — and why it mattered — in three minutes a day. Each lesson is a sequence of beautifully illustrated swipeable cards, painted in the style of the Dutch Golden Age. You read at your own pace. When you finish, three questions test whether you understood the ideas — not whether you can recall the words. FOUNDERS TRACK Six founders. Seven lessons each. 42 lessons total. Follow Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison — from their early lives through the ideas they stood for and the contradictions they couldn't resolve. Each lesson is a complete narrative: a single moment, decision, or idea told from start to finish. CLASSICAL TRACK The Founders didn't invent their ideas. They inherited them. Five lessons on the philosophical roots of the American republic: the Socratic Method, Cicero on Civic Virtue, Aristotle's Virtue Ethics, Enlightenment Empiricism, and Plutarch's Lives — the book Hamilton carried into battle. HOW LESSONS WORK Each lesson is 7 to 9 swipeable illustrated cards. The art is original, painted in the Dutch Golden Age style to match the weight of the subject. Swipe through the narrative, then answer three questions. The questions in Publius aren't trivia. They test understanding. You can't answer them by skimming — you have to follow the argument. That distinction is the point. Track your progress with XP, streaks, and badges as you move through the tracks. WHY PUBLIUS Hamilton, Madison, and Jay wrote The Federalist Papers under one pen name: Publius — after Publius Valerius Publicola, the Roman consul who co-founded the Roman Republic. They used the name to connect what they were building to a tradition that stretched back 2,000 years. This app does the same. Most history apps give you bullet-point facts. Publius gives you narrative — the kind you can follow, remember, and build on. Most civics quizzes test recall. Publius tests ideas. No ads. No paywalls. No push notification campaigns. WHO IT'S FOR Curious adults who want to understand where America came from but don't have time for long books. Students studying US history or civics. New citizens preparing for the naturalization exam. Teachers who want a concise, visually engaging way to add context to classroom discussion.