On November 7, 2023, historians Carol Berkin, author of A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism, and H.W. Brands, author of Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Jefferson, Madison, Adams, and the Brawling Birth of American Politics, joined Jeffrey Rosen for a conversation on political partisanship and nationalism in early America, and how, despite the founders’ fear of factionalism, deep partisan divisions emerged almost immediately after the Revolution. They discuss the election of 1800, the first hotly contested partisan election in American history, and trace the history of American partisanship to the present day.  

Resources: 

• H.W. Brands, Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics (2023) 
• Carol Berkin, A Sovereign People: The Crises of the 1790s and the Birth of American Nationalism (2017) 
• “Genet Affair,” Mount Vernon  
• The Alien and Sedition Acts, NCC Founders’ Library 
• Virginia Resolutions, NCC Founders’ Library 

Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Continue today’s conversation on social media @ConstitutionCtr and #WeThePeoplePodcast.

Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate, at bit.ly/constitutionweekly.

You can find transcripts for each episode on the podcast pages in our Media Library.