Live At America's Town Hall

The National Constitution Center and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University recently presented a conversation exploring how significant the role of “we the people” should be in governing. The panel debated whether more power should be returned to the American people and, if so, what reforms should be enacted to meet that goal? National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen was joined by Dan McLaughlin, senior writer at National Review Online and professor Hahrie Han, co-author of Prisms of the People: Power and Organizing in 21st Century America and the inaugural director of the SNF Agora Institute.  This panel was streamed live on June 23rd, 2021.  Check out additional programs from our Guardrails of Democracy initiative, including "How to Restore the Guardrails of Democracy," in our Media Library. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncen

State constitutions influenced the drafting of the U.S. Constitution and continue to shape constitutional rights today. The Virginia Constitution of 1776 in particular influenced both the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. As we get ready to celebrate Independence Day, National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen joined experts for a two-part conversation on state constitutions. First, Rosen was joined by A.E. Dick Howard of the University of Virginia. Professor Howard is an expert on the Virginia Constitution of 1776 and Virginia’s current constitution, which he helped draft and is commemorating its 50th anniversary this year. Rosen was then joined by two experts on state constitutions: Judge Jeffrey Sutton, author of 51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law, and professor Emily Zackin, author of Looking for Rights in All the Wrong Places: Why State Constitutions Contain America’s Positive Rights.  This panel was streamed live on June 28, 2

Should the government or private companies identify and regulate truth and lies? Join Martha Minow, professor at Harvard Law School and author of the new book, Saving the News: Why the Constitution Calls for Government Action to Preserve Freedom of Speech, Paul Matzko of the Cato Institute and author of The Radio Right, and Jonathan Rauch, author of the new book, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, for a discussion the history of American protection for free speech values and how they are challenged by the social media landscape today. They also discuss current debates about the regulation of online speech, from content regulation to algorithmic disinformation, and what reforms, if any, might promote the free trade in ideas and expression in the future. Newton Minow, former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission during the John F. Kennedy administration, provides remarks. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.  Additional resources and trans

Jeffrey Rosen moderates a conversation looking back at some of America’s greatest Supreme Court justices in history, including Chief Justice John Marshall, one of the founders of constitutional law; Justice John Marshall Harlan, famous for his dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson in which he argued against the doctrine of “separate but equal;” and others—from Justice Benjamin Curtis to Justice Antonin Scalia. Rosen was joined by Robert Strauss, author of the new book 'John Marshall: The Final Founder;' Peter Canellos, editor at Politico and author of the new book 'The Great Dissenter: The Story of John Marshall Harlan, America's Judicial Hero;' and Elizabeth Slattery, a lawyer at the Pacific Legal Foundation and co-host of 'Dissed,' a podcast about important dissents. Register to join us live for upcoming online programs at constitutioncenter.org/debate and check out past programs in our media library at constitutioncenter.org/constitution, including: “Robert Strauss: America’s Worst Presidents” featuring Strauss d

The National Constitution Center and With Honor Action—a group dedicated to promoting the leadership of military veterans in public service—hosted a discussion exploring the state of Congress with members of the For Country Caucus, a bipartisan group of military veterans serving in Congress and dedicated to working together in a nonpartisan way to create a more productive government. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, was joined by Representatives Jared Golden (D-ME), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Peter Meijer (R-MI), and Mariannette Jane Miller-Meeks (R-IA). This program was presented with support from With Honor Action and as part of the National Constitution Center’s Restoring the Guardrails of Democracy initiative. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Last week, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen G. Breyer joined National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a live online program to discuss the Constitution, civility, the Court, and more. In a wide-ranging conversation, the justice discusses how he goes about making decisions, shares some stories and life lessons from his time on the bench, and shares some of his favorite books and authors. He also explains why civic education is so important today, why people need to reach across the political divides more than ever, and why he's optimistic about the future of America. Finally, he answers questions from the audience and describes how he’s been spending his time during the pandemic (including Zooming with his law clerks and meditating). This conversation was one of our constitutional classes broadcast live to learners of all ages. All of the classes from the past school year were recorded and can be watched for free at https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/me

What were the key texts, authors, and sources the framers looked to when drafting the Constitution? Scholars Richard Albert of the University of Texas at Austin, Jonathan Gienapp of Stanford University, and Colleen Sheehan of Arizona State University explore what books were on the shelves of founders like James Madison and Thomas Jefferson, and where some of the ideas behind the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution came from, in a conversation moderated by National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. They discuss the influence of ancient and contemporaneous philosophers, thinkers, and writers—including Plutarch, Aristotle, Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Barthélemy, John Locke, Emer de Vattel, William Blackstone, David Hume, and more. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library

Scholars Bernadette Meyler of Stanford Law School, Alison LaCroix of the University of Chicago Law School and co-editor of the new book, Cannons and Codes: Law, Literature, and America's Wars, and political scientist Catherine Zuckert of the University of Notre Dame and Arizona State University recently joined Jeffrey Rosen for a discussion exploring the ways literature—including the works of Daniel Defoe, James Fenimore Cooper, Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Tracy Smith, and others—has intersected with the Constitution and American democracy from the nation’s founding, to the Civil War, and beyond. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library.

Preeminent legal scholar Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School, host of the Amarica’s Constitution podcast, joins National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen to discuss the big constitutional questions confronted by early Americans, as described in Amar's groundbreaking new book, 'The Words That Made Us: America's Constitutional Conversation, 1760-1840.' Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library.

In light of the critical events and national debates over the past year about race, rights, and equality, the National Constitution Center hosts a discussion exploring the question: “Do we need a third Reconstruction?” Last week, Jeffrey Rosen was joined by Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; professor Wilfred Codrington III of Brooklyn Law School; political scientist William Allen; and professor Kurt Lash of the University of Richmond School of Law and author of a new two-volume series, The Reconstruction Amendments. They explored the first Reconstruction following the Civil War, and the Civil Rights movement as a kind of second “reconstruction”—and then considered whether we need a third era of reconstruction in America today. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Additional resources and transcript available at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

On the heels of election 2020, bills that may change voting and the election process have been introduced at the federal level and in numerous states including Georgia. In this panel, experts discuss the most significant legislation being considered, the constitutional issues they present, and what the Supreme Court might say. Theodore Johnson of the Brennan Center for Justice; Rich Lowry of the National Review; Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute; and Kim Wehle, author of What You Need to Know About Voting—And Why, join Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center.  The National Constitution Center and the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University presented this new panel in their ongoing partnership of conversations about how to restore the guardrails of American democracy. This program was also made possible with support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).  

This week we’re sharing a constitutional class taught online featuring Harvard historian, New Yorker staff writer, and podcast host Jill Lepore. Professor Lepore explores the ideas that animated the founding of America, sparked the constitutional convention, and continue to shape American life today. She also answers questions about the convention and more from both National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen and from the students in our virtual audience, via our Chief Learning Officer Kerry Sautner. For more information on past and upcoming National Constitution Center classes, visit constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/online-civic-learning-opportunities. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

In 1789, both the U.S. Bill of Rights and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen guaranteed American and French citizens the freedom of religion. How has the concept of religious liberty been applied, protected, and interpreted in both countries over the past two centuries? French political scientist Denis Lacorne and law professor Mathilde Philip-Gay join American political scientist Jonathan Laurence and law professor Michael McConnell for a discussion exploring the similarities and differences. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program was presented in partnership with The Cultural Services of the French Embassy as part of a series on freedom of religion and speech in France and the United States. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library

Dorothy Wickenden, executive editor at The New Yorker and author of the new book The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights, and Thavolia Glymph, Duke University historian and author of the book The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation, discuss the early days of the abolition movement and the fight for women’s rights, the complicated relationship between the two movements, and heroes like Harriet Tubman who served as leaders of both. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This program is made possible through the generous support of the McNulty Foundation in partnership with the Anne Welsh McNulty Institute for Women's Leadership at Villanova University, and is presented as part of the Center’s Women and the Constitution initiative. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constituti

This week, back in 1973, the last U.S. combat troops left South Vietnam, and America’s eight-year intervention in the Vietnam War ended. In 2019, the National Constitution Center hosted a program featuring activist Kim Phúc Phan Thi, and we’re sharing that conversation from our archives this week. When she was nine years old, Phuc was severely injured, running from her bombed village, when an Associated Press photographer captured her and others in one of the most famous photographs from the Vietnam War, which later won the Pulitzer Prize. In this moving program, Phúc discusses her firsthand experience of the Vietnam War and its impact; Mark Bowden, contributing writer for The Atlantic and author of Hue 1968: A Turning Point of the American War in Vietnam offers historical context; and classical composer and jazz trumpeter Hannibal Lokumbe performs and discusses the piece he was moved to compose after seeing Phúc’s photograph. Phúc was also awarded the Jeffrey Rosen moderates.

Last week, experts joined NCC President Jeffrey Rosen to consider how we can foster compromise under the Constitution and in American politics today. They also explored prominent issues in the news including whether or not to end the filibuster; if Congress might benefit from less, not more, transparency; and how to incentivize legislators to work together in a more bipartisan way. The panel featured political scientists Steven Teles of Johns Hopkins University and Sarah Binder of the George Washington University and the Brookings Institution; Daniel Stid, director of the U.S. Democracy Program at the Hewlett Foundation; and Reihan Salam, president of the Manhattan Institute. This program was presented in partnership with the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Judge Jed Rakoff unveils his new book 'Why the Innocent Plead Guilty and the Guilty Go Free: And Other Paradoxes of Our Broken Legal System' with former Judge Paul Cassell of the University of Utah College of Law, Carissa Byrne Hessick of the University of North Carolina Law School, and moderator Jeffrey Rosen. They discuss the current challenges in American criminal justice today and share innovative proposals for reform. Additional resources and transcript available at Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

This week, we’re sharing a constitutional conversation from our archives in honor of Women’s History Month. This program, hosted live at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, traces the history of the Equal Rights Amendment and explores the question of whether we need the ERA to ensure gender equality in the United States. National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen was joined by University of Texas at Austin School of Law professor Cary Franklin, an expert in anti-discrimination law, and University of Pennsylvania Law professor Serena Mayeri, an expert on how social movements impact legal and constitutional history, to discuss that question and more. Additional resources and transcript available at https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

This week, we’re sharing a constitutional conversation from our archives. Leading legal scholars and historians Allen Guelzo, Martha Jones, Kurt Lash, and Darrell A. H. Miller tell the story of the 14th amendment and the “forgotten founders” who fought for it. Jeffrey Rosen moderates. This conversation was part of a symposium celebrating the 150th anniversary of the 14th Amendment co-hosted with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

National Constitution Center scholar-in-residence and UNC Law School professor Michael Gerhardt and recently joined us to unveil his new book Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader. He was joined by leading historians H.W. Brands, author of the new book The Zealot and the Emancipator: John Brown, Abraham Lincoln, and the Struggle for American Freedom, and Judith Giesberg, author of Sex and the Civil War: Soldiers, Pornography, and the Making of American Morality, in a conversation moderated by Jeffrey Rosen. They explored how Abraham Lincoln mastered the art of leadership, and how five men mentored an obscure lawyer with no executive experience to become one of America’s greatest presidents. Additional resources and transcript available at constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/media-library. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.