Jeffrey Rosen: The Pursuit of Liberty

Nov 29, 2025

Join Jeffrey Rosen, President and CEO of the National Constitution Center and law professor, as he explores the enduring clash between Hamilton's desire for a strong federal government and Jefferson's emphasis on individual liberties. Dive into how these foundational debates influenced pivotal moments in American history, from Lincoln's fight against slavery to modern presidential powers. Rosen also examines the relevance of these ideas today, the complexities of constitutional interpretations, and the importance of restoring civil discourse in political discussions.

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INSIGHT

Founders' Fundamental Clash

Hamilton and Jefferson agreed on liberty but differed on balancing power and liberty.
That core clash shaped U.S. debates about national power, states' rights, and executive strength.

ANECDOTE

Dinner-Table Spark For Parties

At a dinner Hamilton joked the greatest man who ever lived was Julius Caesar, alarming Jefferson.
Jefferson recorded that Hamilton's comment proved he favored monarchy, spurring partisan division.

INSIGHT

Executive Terms And Founders' Fears

Founders debated term length and executive strength to prevent demagogues from seizing power.
The resulting precedents (two-term tradition) later became constitutional law via the 22nd Amendment.

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Commonwealth Club World Affairs welcomes back Jeffrey Rosen, this time to explore the clashing visions of Hamilton and Jefferson about how to balance liberty and power in a debate that continues to define—and divide—our country. Hamilton pushed for a strong federal government and a powerful executive, while Jefferson championed states’ rights and individual liberties. This ongoing tug-of-war has shaped all the pivotal moments in American history, including Abraham Lincoln’s fight against slavery and Southern secession, the expansion of federal power under Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, and Ronald Reagan’s and Donald Trump’s conservative pushes to attempt to shrink the size of the federal government.

Rosen will explain how Hamilton’s and Jefferson’s disagreement over how to interpret the Constitution has shaped landmark debates in Congress and the Supreme Court about executive power, from John Marshall’s early battles with Andrew Jackson to the current divisions among the justices on issues from presidential immunity to control over the administrative state.

More than ever, the clash between Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian ideals resonates today in our most urgent national debates over the question of whether modern presidents have been consolidating power and subverting the Constitution—the very threat to American democracy that both Hamilton and Jefferson were determined to avoid. Rosen explores all of this in his new book The Pursuit of Liberty, and he'll join us in-person to offer a compelling history of the opposing forces that have shaped our country since its founding, and the ongoing struggle to define the balance between liberty and power.

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