Live at the National Constitution Center

A panel of experts dives into what the Founders—including Abigail and John Adams, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Mercy Otis Warren, and Phyllis Wheatley—learned from the Greeks and Romans, from their early education through adulthood, and how that knowledge came to influence founding documents such as the Constitution as well as the American idea. They also explore the Founders’ philosophica...

From Ben Franklin to George Washington to Abraham Lincoln—American founders and many early Americans read and revered Shakespeare. As a result, echoes of Shakespeare can be heard in some of the most fundamental documents in American history, including the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and Shakespearean themes and influences have resonated throughout some of America’s biggest cr...

Religious freedom advocate Kristina Arriaga and scholar Stephanie Barclay of Notre Dame Law School joined constitutional scholars Erwin Chemerinsky and Howard Gillman, authors of The Religion Clauses: The Case for Separating Church and State, to debate what the Constitution says about the relationship between church and state and provide their take on the most recent religious liberty Supreme Cour...

A panel of experts from across the ideological spectrum joined National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen on November 11 to consider what the 2020 election and its aftermath demonstrates about the political parties, polarization, and the state of American democracy today. They also explored how debates over what “truth” means have grown over the last four years, how that manifested in th...

Authors Robert Putnam and Shaylyn Romney Garrett joined National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to discuss their book The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again. The authors shared what they learned tracing more than a century of American history. They expand upon their thesis that the country went from an individualistic “I” society to a m...

How are social media platforms dealing with disinformation in the midst of election 2020? Experts joined host Jeffrey Rosen to explore that question as well as the complex, persistent issues surrounding the regulation of online speech and content, and how all of that relates to the First Amendment and free speech norms. The panel featured David Hudson, Jr., First Amendment Fellow at the Freedom Fo...

The biggest immigration controversies of the last decade have involved policies produced by presidents. Earlier this month, legal scholars Cristina Rodriguez, Adam Cox, and Michael McConnell joined National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to explore some of those controversies and consider what the president’s role in immigration law has been and should be, what the Constitutio...

As the 2020 election approaches, this week we hosted program about the history of presidential elections. Experts Franita Tolson of USC Law, Edward Foley of Ohio State Law, James Ceaser of the University of Virginia, and Robert Lieberman of Johns Hopkins University joined National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to discuss the most contentious elections in American history—incl...

This week, we partnered with Free and Fair with Franita and Foley, a podcast about democracy and elections hosted by election experts Professor Edward Foley of Ohio State Moritz College of Law and Professor Franita Tolson of USC Gould School of Law. They joined fellow elections scholar Professor Michael Morley of Florida State University College of Law and National Constitution Center President an...

The Constitution Drafting Project challenged three teams of leading constitutional thinkers from different ideological perspectives to draft their ideal constitutions. Earlier this week, “Team Progressive”—led by Caroline Fredrickson of Georgetown Law along with Jamal Greene of Columbia Law and Melissa Murray of NYU Law, and “Team Libertarian”—led by Ilya Shapiro along with Tim Sandefur of the Gol...

The National Constitution Center recently hosted a special “Student Town Hall” with Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch. Justice Gorsuch spoke to students joining online from across the country about his career, the role of the judicial branch, and what it’s like to sit on the Supreme Court. Center President Jeffrey Rosen moderated. This conversation was recorded on September 17—Constitution Day...

Last week, before the passing of constitutional icon Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the National Constitution Center awarded Justice Ginsburg the 2020 Liberty Medal for her lifelong efforts to advance liberty and equality for all. Following the Liberty Medal Ceremony, National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen discussed the justice’s legacy both before and after joining the Supreme...

Last month, the National Constitution Center hosted a musical performance and conversation about the women who fought for the right to vote. On this episode you’ll hear the premiere performance of RESOLVED — a song cycle about the 19th Amendment and the American women’s suffrage movement—by composer/soprano/creator Patrice Michaels, performed by renowned mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges and pianist Lau...

The National Constitution Center is hosting a series of online constitutional classes this fall for students and learners of all ages. Last Friday, Center President Jeffrey Rosen and Chief Learning Officer Kerry Sautner were joined by David Coleman, CEO of the College Board. They discussed the founders, their flaws, and whether they still matter today. They also dove into the ideas of classical ph...

In the spring, the National Constitution Center hosted a series of online constitutional classes where students, teachers, parents, and learners of all ages joined in constitutional discussions with scholars from the National Constitution Center and guest speakers. As we gear up for more classes starting on August 31st, we’re sharing one of our favorite lectures from spring 2020 on today’s episode...

Our annual Supreme Court term review, hosted in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, recapped the landmark cases from this past term and previewed what’s to come next term. The panel featured Supreme Court experts Dahlia Lithwick, Erwin Chemerinsky, Paul Clement, and Frederick Lawrence. Karen Levit, National Civil Rights Counsel at ADL moderates, with opening remarks from National Constitu...

Last week, historians Martha Jones and Lisa Tetrault joined National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a conversation exploring the history and legacy of the 19th Amendment. The discussion highlighted the untold stories of women from all backgrounds who fought for women's suffrage and equality for all. Martha Jones is author of the new book Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Bar...

In the spring, the National Constitution Center hosted a series of online constitutional classes where students, teachers, and parents joined in constitutional discussions with scholars from the Center and guest speakers. As we gear up for more classes this coming school year, we’re sharing one of our favorite lectures from spring 2020 on today’s episode.    National Constitution Center President...

In the spring, the National Constitution Center hosted a series of online constitutional classes where students, teachers, and parents joined in constitutional discussions with scholars from the National Constitution Center and guest speakers. As we gear up for more classes this coming school year, we’re sharing one of our favorite lectures from the spring on today’s episode.   National Constituti...

What did the original Constitution say about the right to vote? How has that changed over time, and why? In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment and the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment in 2020, the National Constitution Center hosted a program featuring a panel of voting and election law experts who addressed those questions and more. They also reflected on the memory...

Recently, the National Constitution Center hosted a symposium bringing together contributors from The Battle for the Constitution website—a joint project from the National Constitution Center and The Atlantic that features essays exploring current constitutional issues from all perspectives. Today we’re sharing the second panel of the symposium: a conversation on the key constitutional issues rais...

Last week, the National Constitution Center hosted a symposium bringing together contributors from The Battle for the Constitution website—a joint project from the National Constitution Center and The Atlantic that features essays exploring current constitutional issues from all perspectives. Today we’re sharing the first panel of the symposium: a conversation on the constitutional dimensions of p...

On June 19, 1775, The Continental Congress commissioned George Washington as Commander in Chief of the Continental Army. Shortly after he received his commission, Washington left for Massachusetts and assumed command of the Continental Army in Cambridge on July 3, 1775. In honor of that anniversary and of the Fourth of July holiday this weekend, we’re sharing a program on Washington from earlier t...

This week, the NCC hosted a conversation on Congress in times of crisis featuring historians and co-hosts of the podcast Backstory Edward Ayers of the University of Richmond and Joanne Freeman of Yale University, and political scientist Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute. They explored how Congress has handled crises of the past—particularly the Civil War, other key moments throu...

This week, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, America’s first female secretary of state, joined host Jeffrey Rosen to reflect on her experience in government, her views on the Constitution, and how women leaders play a more important role than ever in the world today. She also shared stories from her life as told in her new book Hell and Other Destinations. This conversation was part of...