Live At America's Town Hall

Four star General Stanley McChrystal visited the National Constitution Center to discuss his new book - Leaders: Myth and Reality. The book was inspired by McChrystal’s own experiences working with numerous leaders as he served for thirty-four years in the US Army, eventually becoming commander of all American and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Gen. McChrystal shares his insights into the complex question, “What makes a leader great?” and discusses real life leaders past and present from Robert E. Lee to Presidents Obama and Trump. National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen moderates. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Last week, National Constitution Center Members had the chance to attend a private film screening of the new biopic on Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, On the Basis of Sex, which depicts Justice Ginsburg's early life and legal career and tells the story of the landmark case Moritz v. Commissioner—the first gender-discrimination lawsuit she argued in court. Following the screening, Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center and author of the forthcoming book Conversations with RBG, hosted a Q&A to shed light on the real life trials and tribulations that inspired the film (spoiler alert!). Jeff was joined by panelists Carrie Rickey, film critic and chief book critic at Film Quarterly, Kelsi Corkran, appellate lawyer and former law clerk to Justice Ginsburg, and Marty Moss-Coane, host of WHYY’s weekday program Radio Times. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

In celebration of Martin Luther King Day, we’re sharing the program “Remembering Birmingham: Civil Rights and Constitutional Change” held here at the National Constitution Center in 2017 and moderated by Jeffrey Rosen. This conversation features Sarah Collins Rudolph, a survivor of the September 1963 bombing of the 16th street Baptist church in Birmingham, Alabama, carried out by white supremacists, that took the lives of four young girls including Rudolph’s sister. Rudolph is joined by Steven Levingston, author of Kennedy and King and Hannibal Lokumbe, composer in residence at the Philadelphia Orchestra. Hannibal begins by playing a moving piece that he composed on the trumpet in honor of Rudolph and the other victims of the bombing. The panel then explores the tragedy's lasting impact on the civil rights movement and the African American community.Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Justin Driver provides a provocative account of the role the Supreme Court has played in defining the rights of students in America's public schools—from race and drugs to religion and free speech. Driver, a constitutional law professor at the University of Chicago Law School and former high school teacher, discusses his book The Schoolhouse Gate: Public Education, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for the American Mind live at the National Constitution Center in conversation with NCC in-house counsel Lana Ulrich. 

NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen sits down with Stephen B. Burbank of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Tara Leigh Grove of William & Mary Law School to explore the history of judicial independence and the federal courts in the 20th century and the progressive era. They focus in particular on the crucial role of Chief Justice Taft in shaping the judicial branch, some of the key Supreme Court rulings of the era, and how this history shaped the future of judicial independence for years to come.This program was presented in partnership with the Federal Judicial Center.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Dawn Langan Teele, author of Forging the Franchise: The Political Origins of the Women’s Vote, and Elaine Weiss, author of The Woman’s Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote (which has been optioned by Stephen Spielberg’s Amblin TV to be turned into a series or movie with executive producer Hillary Clinton) provide a stirring history of the long journey to women’s suffrage. They detail some of the key moments of the movement, the important political and constitutional ideas behind it, and the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Lana Ulrich, in-house counsel at the National Constitution Center, moderates.This program was presented in partnership with Vision 2020’s Women 100: A Celebration of American Women, a national initiative headquartered at Drexel University.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

In celebration of Bill of Rights Day—the anniversary of the ratification of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, December 15th—we’re bringing you one of our favorite conversations from Bill of Rights Day 2017. Gerard Magliocca discusses his book The Heart of the Constitution: How the Bill of Rights Became the Bill of Rights, which tells the untold story of the most celebrated part of the Constitution, with NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

NCC President Jeffrey Rosen sits down with three scholarly experts on James Madison—Professors Greg Weiner, Colleen Sheehan, and Larry Kramer—to explore everything Madison, including his views on the importance of time in politics, his desire for rule by reason rather than passion, and his vision for republican government. This panel was produced in partnership with The Atlantic as part of our national symposium, The Constitution in Crisis: What Would the Founders Think?

National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen moderates the first gathering of the Goldberg's: Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic; Michelle Goldberg, op-ed columnist for The New York Times; and Jonah Goldberg, senior editor of the National Review. These distinguished journalists share their insights into what James Madison would think of mainstream media, social media, and politics today. They explore everything from Twitter mobs and Facebook content regulation to the problems facing our American institutions, including Congress' decline in power, Americans' retreat from civil society, and heightened tribalism and partisanship.Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Senator Chris Coons of Delaware breaks down the recent developments related to his efforts to pass legislation that would protect the Special Counsel. He also shares his plans to make the Constitution a bigger part of the work of the Senate, in a sit-down with his law school classmate, National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

In memory of President George H.W. Bush, the 41st president who passed away November 30th, 2018, we’re sharing a conversation with Jon Meachem, author of Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Ryan Lizza, then the Washington Correspondent at The New Yorker, moderated the conversation, held at the National Constitution Center in 2015. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Through a smash Broadway hit, Alexander Hamilton has reentered the American imagination. In this episode, Judge Ketanji Jackson, Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, University of Kentucky College of Law Professor Joshua Douglas, and attorney Vanessa Nadal discuss what Hamilton, both the man and the musical, have to teach us about the Constitution and the law. The panel explores the ways that Hamilton's resurgence has encouraged people of all ages to engage with America's early history, the stories of the Framers, and the legendary life of Hamilton. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderated this panel, produced in partnership with the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and presented live at the NCC. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Citizenship is central to many of today's most pressing constitutional debates, from proposals to end birthright citizenship and add a citizenship question to the census, to questions over the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. Illuminating all sides of these issues, Jaya Ramji-Nogales of Temple University, John Eastman of Chapman University, and Ruth Wasem of the University of Texas at Austin explore what it means to be a citizen today and consider the ways that citizenship is intertwined with core American values. This panel, presented in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and in conjunction with the exhibit And Europe Will Be Stunned, was moderated by National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and the NCC’s new Vice President of Content and Development, Sheldon Gilbert.  

Former special prosecutor Ken Starr shares his definitive account of one of the most divisive periods in American history in his new book, Contempt: A Memoir of The Clinton Investigation. Starr offers his unique perspective on the investigation that eventually led to the impeachment of President William J. Clinton. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss discusses his new book, Presidents of War, exploring presidential war powers and stories of presidents during wartime. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and author of the new book, 51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law, explores four constitutional debates — school funding, the exclusionary rule, eugenics, and mandatory flag salutes — to shed light on the importance of state courts and state constitutions in protecting liberty. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin unveils her new book, Leadership In Turbulent Times - a culmination of five decades of acclaimed study in presidential history, comparing the leadership styles of Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.