Acclaimed historians Mary Beth Norton, the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita of American History at Cornell University, and Rosemarie Zagarri, distinguished university professor of history at George Mason University, examine how women influenced the political, social, and intellectual currents of the American Revolution. The conversation explores how women’s experiences and contributions deepen and expand our understanding of America’s founding. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources 

• Mary Beth Norton, Founding Mothers & Fathers: Gendered Power and the Forming of American Society 
• Mary Beth Norton, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution 
• Rosemarie Zagarri, Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic 
• Rosemarie Zagarri, “The Declaration’s Grievances Against the King” 

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, award-winning historian Ellen DuBois, author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life, discusses the life, ideas, and legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the decades-long struggle for women’s suffrage. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

• Ellen Carol DuBois, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life (2026)
• Ellen Carol DuBois, Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote (2020) 
• Ellen Carol DuBois, Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences 1815-1897 (2020) 
• Minor v. Happersett (1875) 
• National Constitution Center, The 19th Amendment

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• Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and National Constitution Center Semiquincentennial Scholar Jon Meacham joins to discuss his book American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union. The book brings together pivotal speeches, letters, and essays from across American history to illuminate the enduring tensions that shape our democracy. Meacham reflects on the questions and challenges that faced America and continue to inform our national legacy. Vince Stango, interim president and chief executive officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

• Jon Meacham, American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

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• Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected]
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In this episode, Gary Berton, the president of The Thomas Paine Historical Association, joins Scott Cleary, co-editor of New Directions in Thomas Paine Studies and author of The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry, to discuss the revolutionary life, ideas, and legacy of Thomas Paine in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his famous pamphlet, Common Sense. Julie Silverbrook, vice president of civic education of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

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

Resources

• Scott Cleary, New Directions in Thomas Paine Studies
• Scott Cleary, The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry
• Thomas Paine, Common Sense
• Richard Rosenfeld, American Aurora: A Democratic-Republican Returns

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In celebration of Black History Month, scholars Lucas Morel and Melvin Rogers join to discuss how African American leaders and citizens, such as Prince Hall, Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. have invoked the ideas and principles of the Declaration of Independence throughout American history to push for a more free and equal America. Thomas Donnelly, chief scholar of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

• National Constitution Center, "The Declaration Across History" Primary Sources
• Lucas Morel, Lincoln and the American Founding
• Melvin Rogers, The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought

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• Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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In this episode, Legal scholar William Ewald joins Jesse Wegman to discuss Wegman’s new book, The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People’s Constitution, which explores the influence and legacy of forgotten founder and Supreme Court Justice James Wilson. Julie Silverbrook, vice president of civic education of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

• Jesse Wegman, The Lost Founder: James Wilson and the Forgotten Fight for a People's Constitution
• Jesse Wegman, Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College

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In this episode, Matthew Continetti, author of The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism, joins prize-winning biographer Sam Tanenhaus to discuss Tanenhaus’s new book, Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America, and to trace American conservatism’s evolution from the Progressive Era, through the rise of William F. Buckley Jr., to today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

• Sam Tanenhaus, Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America (2025)
• Matthew Continetti, The Right: The Hundred-Year War for American Conservatism (2022)

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In this episode, John Q. Barrett, discoverer and editor of Robert H. Jackson's acclaimed book That Man: An Insider's Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt and writer of the popular blog The Jackson List, joins author and constitutional scholar Gerard Magliocca, author of The Actual Art of Governing: Justice Robert H. Jackson's Concurring Opinion in the Steel Seizure Case, and G. Edward White, author of Robert H. Jackson: A Life in Judgment, to discuss the Justice’s influential concurrence in Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer, his approach to constitutional interpretation, and the lasting legacy he left on debates over presidential power. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This program is presented in partnership with the Robert H. Jackson Center.

Resources

• John Q. Barrett, The Jackson List
• Robert H. Jackson and John Q. Barrett (editor), That Man: An Insider’s Portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt (2004)
• Gerard Magliocca, The Actual Art of Governing: Justice Robert H. Jackson’s Concurring Opinion in the Steel Seizure Case (2025)
• G. Edward White, Robert H. Jackson: A Life in Judgment (2025)
• G. Edward White, The American Judicial Tradition: Profile of Leading American Judges (2007)

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• Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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In this episode, the National Constitution Center launches its Article V Project, a new initiative exploring the founders’ vision for Article V and an historical look at the use of the Article V process from 1789 to the present. Project contributors and constitutional law experts Gerard Magliocca, Sanford Levinson, Michael Rappaport, and Stephen Sachs explore the origins, debates, and ongoing challenges surrounding Article V in this conversation about their new essays.Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This program is presented in conjunction with the Article V Project, made possible by Democracy Restated. 

Resources

• Article V: Amending the Constitution
• Gerard Magliocca, Report: Article V Constitutional Conventions
• Sanford Levinson, Reflections on the Possibility of a New Constitutional Convention
• Michael B. Rappaport, The Convention Method for Proposing Amendments: Essential, Misunderstood, and Broken
• Stephen E. Sachs, Restoring Conventions, One Amendment at a Time

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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.

Resources

• Ed Larson, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters (2025)
• Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
• John Adams, Thoughts on Government (1776)
• George Mason, First Draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)

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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. 

Resources 

• Listen to Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness on ⁠⁠Apple Podcast⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠ 
• Watch the full performance of the ⁠Pursuit of Happiness: Song Cycles⁠ by Jeffrey Rosen  
• Twelve Titans: Songs of the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses, music and lyrics by Jeffrey Rosen [PDF] 
• Jeffrey Rosen, ⁠The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America⁠, (2024)  
• Jeffrey Rosen, ⁠The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America⁠, (2025)  

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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