

Live at the National Constitution Center
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. To watch National Constitution Center Town Halls live, check out our schedule of upcoming programs at constitutioncenter.org/townhall. Register through Zoom to ask your constitutional questions in the Q&A or watch live on YouTube at YouTube.com/ConstitutionCenter.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 3, 2025 • 38min
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
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
The Golden Mean: Songs for the Pursuit of Happiness, 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
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
Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at programs@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore theAmerica 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

Nov 18, 2025 • 53min
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.
Resources
Susan Stokes, The Backsliders: Why Leaders Undermine Their Own Democracies (2025)
Cass Sunstein, On Liberalism: In Defense of Freedom (2025)
Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at programs@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore theAmerica 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

Nov 12, 2025 • 60min
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.
Resources
Kathleen DuVal, Native Nations: A Millenium in North America (2025)
Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at programs@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore theAmerica 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

Oct 28, 2025 • 1h 7min
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.
Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at programs@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore theAmerica 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

Oct 7, 2025 • 45min
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.
Resources
Eric Foner, Our Fragile Freedoms(2025)
Eric Foner, The Second Founding: How the Civil War and Reconstruction Remade the Constitution (2019)
Eric Foner, The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery (2010)
Eric Foner, Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877 (1988)
Richard Hofstadter, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life (1963)
Stay Connected and Learn More
Questions or comments about the show? Email us at programs@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore theAmerica 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

18 snips
Sep 30, 2025 • 1h
An Evening With Justice Amy Coney Barrett
Join Justice Amy Coney Barrett, a prominent U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice and author, as she shares her unique journey to the bench and her insights on constitutional interpretation. She discusses her deep-rooted values from New Orleans, the balance of her large family life, and her transition from English literature to law. Barrett delves into originalism, emphasizing the importance of public meaning over intent, and reflects on the role of history in recognizing unenumerated rights. Civility and collegiality in the Court's proceedings are also highlighted, offering a glimpse into her deliberative process.

Sep 23, 2025 • 1h 7min
Born Equal: America’s Founding Promise and the Fight for Equality
Akhil Reed Amar, a Yale Law School professor and leading constitutional scholar, dives into the evolution of equality in America, as showcased in his book, Born Equal. He traces the origins of 'All Men Are Created Equal' and discusses Lincoln's interpretation of equality. Amar highlights the significance of the Reconstruction amendments in establishing birthright equality and analyzes influential figures like John Quincy Adams, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Frederick Douglass. He emphasizes the importance of understanding constitutional history to foster civic learning.

Jul 16, 2025 • 53min
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 CourtJess Bravin, Supreme Court Correspondent, The Wall Street JournalJan Crawford, chief legal correspondent, CBS NewsFred Smith Jr., professor of law, Stanford Law SchoolModerator: Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO, National Constitution Center
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.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube.
Support our important work.
Donate

Jul 16, 2025 • 48min
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 PowerStephen Vladeck, Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Federal Courts, Georgetown University Law CenterDaniel Walters, associate professor of law, Texas A&M University School of LawKeith Whittington, David Boies Professor of Law, Yale Law SchoolModerator: Neil Siegel, David W. Ichel Professor of Law and Professor of Political Science, Duke Law School
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.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube.
Support our important work.
Donate

Jul 16, 2025 • 48min
2025 Supreme Court Review, Panel 1: Supreme Court Term Review
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 1: Supreme Court Term Review
Jonathan Adler, Tazewell Taylor Professor of Law, William & Mary Law SchoolDaniel Epps, professor of law, Washington University School of LawSarah Isgur, editor, SCOTUSblog; legal analyst, ABC NewsFrederick Lawrence, distinguished lecturer, Georgetown University Law CenterModerator: Katherine Mims Crocker, professor of law, Texas A&M University School of Law
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.
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate.
Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen.
Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube.
Support our important work.
Donate


