We the People

Ellen DuBois, award-winning historian and author of a new Stanton biography, explores Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s life and long fight for women’s suffrage. She traces Stanton’s charm and radical ideas, the origins of Seneca Falls, the split over Reconstruction amendments, the Woman’s Bible controversy, and Stanton’s complicated racial rhetoric and lasting legacy.

As the Center marks the 250th anniversary of the nation, we’re taking a closer look at the people, events, and ideas that set the American Revolution in motion and ultimately led to the creation and adoption of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. This moment invites us to broaden the story of the founding by exploring not only the familiar figures we often study, but also the wider community of thinkers who helped shape the principles of our constitutional democracy.  In this episode Mary Sarah Bilder of Boston College Law School and Sara Georgini of the Massachusetts Historical Society join the program to discuss two remarkable women central to 18th-century intellectual life whose ideas influenced many of the era’s most notable figures: Catharine Macaulay and Mercy Otis Warren. Julie Silverbrook, Chief Content and Learning Officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources  Mary Sarah Bilder, Madison's Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention (2017)  Mary Sarah Bilder, The Transatlantic Constitution: Colonial Legal Culture and the Empire (2008)  Mary Sarah Bilder, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution (2022)  Mary Sarah Bilder, Hater of Kings: Catharine Macaulay’s Constitutional Regicide and the Declaration of Independence,” Boston College Law School Legal Studies Research Paper No. 654, (July 23, 2025)  Sara Georgini, Household Gods: The Religious Lives of the Adams Family (2022)  Sara Georgini (series editor), Adams Papers Digital Edition, Massachusetts Historical Society  Karen Green (editor), The Correspondence of Catharine Macaulay (2019)  Mercy Otis Warren Letter to Catharine Macaulay, August 24, 1775, Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Support our important work ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

Michael D. Ramsey, a constitutional law scholar focused on war powers, and Harold Hongju Koh, a national security law expert and former Yale dean, debate who controls war making under the Constitution. They cover Epic Fury, the War Powers Resolution, historical meanings of "war," judicial avoidance, congressional inaction, and ways Congress might reassert authority.

Elizabeth Cobbs, historian and author of Fearless Women, pairs feminist lives across eras. Tomiko Brown-Nagin, legal historian of Civil Rights Queen, traces Constance Baker Motley's legal battles. They discuss women shaping constitutional change, landmark litigation and reform, and the intersections of race, law, and feminist activism in American history.

Ilya Somin, law professor and constitutional scholar focused on separation of powers; Zachary Shemtob, SCOTUSblog editor and longtime Supreme Court watcher. They discuss the Court's ruling that IEEPA did not authorize sweeping tariffs. Short takes on the major questions doctrine, competing judicial rationales, historical practice, practical fallout for refunds and future limits on presidential emergency power.

Jamelle Bouie, New York Times columnist known for sharp historical and policy analysis, and Juan Williams, award-winning journalist and author, discuss the rise of a new civil rights era. They talk about Black Lives Matter’s decentralized power, generational tensions after Obama, backlash and polarization, policy wins like police reform and voting drives, and what a future movement might learn.

Scott Cleary, an 18th-century literature scholar, and Gary Berton, president of the Thomas Paine Historical Association, discuss Thomas Paine's life and the 250th anniversary of Common Sense. They explore how Paine’s plain, emotional language mobilized ordinary readers. They trace his influence on independence, his political training, networks that spread the pamphlet, and later controversies around his reputation.

Melvin Rogers, historian of African American political thought, and Lucas Morel, scholar of American political theory, discuss how the Declaration's language has been used by figures from Prince Hall to Martin Luther King Jr. They explore early abolitionist petitions, fiery calls for self-liberation, Lincoln’s reframing of the founding, Reconstruction’s legal turn, and civil rights appeals to equality and voting.

Michael Lewis, bestselling narrative nonfiction author (The Fifth Risk, Moneyball), discusses his 2025 book Who Is Government? and profiles public servants. He tells vivid stories of a Coast Guard oceanographer and mine-safety reformers. Topics include why government tackles problems markets avoid, how enforcement saves lives, civic motivations, and barriers that weaken federal effectiveness.

Jesse Wegman, a legal journalist and author of The Lost Founder, dives into the life of James Wilson, an often-overlooked founding father. He discusses Wilson's commitment to popular sovereignty and his pivotal role in the Constitutional Convention. William Ewald, a legal scholar from the University of Pennsylvania, adds scholarly insight, highlighting Wilson's influence on key constitutional provisions and the political upheaval he faced. Their conversation sheds light on Wilson’s lasting impact on modern democracy and democratic self-government.