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National Constitution Center

Live constitutional conversations and debates featuring leading historians, journalists, scholars, and public officials hosted at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia and across America.

  • 59 minutes 28 seconds
    Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Still Matters

    In this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson discusses his newest book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Still Matters. This book traces the idea of American independence in one pivotal year—1776—and explores why this year continues to hold significance today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

    This program is generously sponsored by Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers.


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    9 December 2025, 7:36 pm
  • 41 minutes 59 seconds
    Bonus: Twelve Titans Song Cycle

    In this bonus episode, we are sharing recordings from the Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness podcast launch event featuring a performance of Jeffrey Rosen’s The Golden Mean: Songs for the Pursuit of Happiness and Twelve Titans: Songs of the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses in Philadelphia.  

    Jeffrey Rosen, author of The Pursuit of Happiness and host of the podcast, performs his original songs inspired by the book’s exploration of the classical writers on virtue that shaped the founders.   

    This performance features Jeffrey Rosen and pianist Jennifer Blyth with arrangements by Greg Strohman. 


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    Timeline

    Twelve Titans: Songs of the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses

    [00:00] Episode Introduction 

    [01:14] Twelve Titans Introduction 

    [05:10] 1. Twelve Titans  

    [08:15] 2. Apollo, Helios, and Hyperion  

    [11:15] 3. Pythia  

    [14:49] 4. O Diana  

    [17:36] 5. Athena  

    [20:00] 6. Mighty Aphrodite  

    [22:42] 7. Mercury  

    [25:28] 8. The Three Fates  

    [28:25] 9. Apollo’s Rising  

    [31:04] 10. Dame Fortune  

    [33:29] 11. Enthusiasmos  

    [36:16] 12. Divinity Is One 


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    3 December 2025, 1:32 am
  • 38 minutes 14 seconds
    Bonus: The Golden Mean Song Cycle

    In this bonus episode, we are sharing recordings from the Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness podcast launch event featuring a performance of Jeffrey Rosen’s The Golden Mean: Songs for the Pursuit of Happiness and Twelve Titans: Songs of the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses in Philadelphia.  

    Jeffrey Rosen, author of The Pursuit of Happiness and host of the podcast, performs his original songs inspired by the book’s exploration of the classical writers on virtue that shaped the founders.   

    This performance features pianist Jennifer Blyth and baritone James Martin with arrangements by Greg Strohman. 


    Resources 


    Timeline 

    The Golden Mean: Songs for the Pursuit of Happiness

    [00:00] Episode Introduction 

    [01:33] 1. Order: The Golden Mean  

    [04:10] 2. Temperance: Calm Self-Mastery  

    [06:40] 3. Humility: Judge Not  

    [08:28] 4. Industry: Industry Alone  

    [11:06] 5. Frugality: Thomas Jefferson  

    [13:51] 6. Sincerity: The Light Within  

    [16:50] 7. Resolution: Just Do What You Resolve  

    [19:00] 8. Moderation: Alexander Hamilton  

    [21:05] 9. Tranquility: Security Is an Illusion  

    [23:57] 10. Cleanliness: John Quincy Adams  

    [26:55] 11. Justice: Love’s the Answer  

    [29:40] 12. Silence: Silence Is Golden  

    [32:37] 13. Coda: Song of Devotion and The Pursuit of Happiness 


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    3 December 2025, 1:30 am
  • 53 minutes 25 seconds
    Liberalism: Current Challenges and Modern Debates

    In this episode, Susan Stokes, author of The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies, and Cass Sunstein, author of On Liberalism: In Defense of Freedom, explore the current challenges facing liberalism and why liberalism remains essential to freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. 


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    18 November 2025, 7:00 pm
  • 59 minutes 30 seconds
    Native Nations: From Ancient Cities to Today

    In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, award-winning historian Kathleen DuVal discusses her new book, Native Nations: A Millennium in North America, tracing a thousand years of Native history—from the rise of ancient cities and the arrival of Europeans to today’s ongoing fights for sovereignty. Thomas Donnelly, chief scholar of the National Constitution Center, moderates.


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    12 November 2025, 2:14 am
  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    The Pursuit of Liberty: A Book Launch Event With Jeffrey Rosen and Jeffrey Goldberg

    National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and The Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg discuss Rosen’s new book, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America. The book explores how the opposing constitutional visions of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton have defined the nation since its founding, shaped presidents from Washington to Trump, and continued to drive today’s debates over government power.

    This program is presented in partnership with The Atlantic and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.


    Resources

    Jeffrey Rosen’s new book, Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America, is out in October 2025. His other books include New York Times bestsellers The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America and Conversations with RBG: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law, as well as biographies of Louis Brandeis and William Howard Taft.


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    28 October 2025, 2:08 pm
  • 45 minutes 6 seconds
    Our Fragile Freedoms

    In this episode, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Eric Foner discusses Our Fragile Freedoms, a new collection of essays exploring a range of topics, including debates over slavery and antislavery, the Civil War and Reconstruction, Jim Crow and the battle to dismantle it, and modern debates over the Constitution and how to teach American history. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.


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    7 October 2025, 11:49 pm
  • 1 hour 19 seconds
    An Evening With Justice Amy Coney Barrett

    In this episode, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett joins National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen for a special Constitution Day conversation to discuss her new book, Listening to the Law: Reflections on the Court and the Constitution. Justice Barrett reflects on her journey to the Court and offers a glimpse into her role (and daily life) as a justice, including her deliberative process and how she approaches interpreting the Constitution.


    This program was recorded live in Philadelphia on September 17, 2025. 


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    30 September 2025, 1:42 pm
  • 1 hour 6 minutes
    Born Equal: America’s Founding Promise and the Fight for Equality

    In this episode, we’re sharing a conversation with Jeffrey Rosen and constitutional scholar Akhil Reed Amar of Yale Law School about his new book, Born Equal: Remaking America’s Constitution, 1840–1920, which explores the transformative amendments that redefined freedom, equality, and voting rights in the post–Civil War era. 


    This program was recorded live in Philadelphia on September 16, 2025. 


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    23 September 2025, 7:06 pm
  • 52 minutes 46 seconds
    2025 Supreme Court Review, Panel 3: Covering the Court

    The National Constitution Center and the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law present a U.S. Supreme Court review symposium featuring leading constitutional law scholars and commentators analyzing the Court’s most significant rulings of the term.


    Panel 3: Covering the Court
    Jess Bravin, Supreme Court Correspondent, The Wall Street Journal
    Jan Crawford, chief legal correspondent, CBS News
    Fred Smith Jr., professor of law, Stanford Law School
    Moderator: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO, National Constitution Center


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    16 July 2025, 3:55 am
  • 48 minutes 25 seconds
    2025 Supreme Court Review, Panel 2: The Roberts Court and Executive Power

    The National Constitution Center and the Center on the Structural Constitution at Texas A&M University School of Law present a U.S. Supreme Court review symposium featuring leading constitutional law scholars and commentators analyzing the Court’s most significant rulings of the term.


    Panel 2: The Roberts Court and Executive Power
    Stephen Vladeck, Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Federal Courts, Georgetown University Law Center
    Daniel Walters, associate professor of law, Texas A&M University School of Law
    Keith Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law School
    Moderator: Neil Siegel, David W. Ichel Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science, Duke Law School


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    16 July 2025, 3:53 am
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