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Dennis C. Rasmussen

Professor of political science and Hagerty Family Fellow at Syracuse University, author of "The Constitution’s Penman".

Top 3 podcasts with Dennis C. Rasmussen

Ranked by the Snipd community
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Dec 25, 2024 • 57min

The Life and Constitutional Legacy of Gouverneur Morris

Join Melanie Miller, editor of the Gouverneur Morris Papers, Dennis Rasmussen, a political science professor and author, and William Treanor, dean of Georgetown Law Center, as they delve into the life of Gouverneur Morris. They explore his pivotal role in drafting the Constitution, particularly the Preamble, and his bold stance against slavery. Discover Morris’s complex character, his advocacy for executive power, and his overlooked legacy amid America's founding figures. Plus, hear about his unique insights on liberty during the French Revolution.
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Dec 17, 2024 • 58min

The Life and Constitutional Legacy of Gouverneur Morris

Join Professor Dennis Rasmussen and editor Melanie Randolph Miller as they dive into the life of Gouverneur Morris, the unsung Founding Father who penned the Constitution's preamble and staunchly opposed slavery. They discuss Morris's advocacy for a strong executive and his critical influence at the Constitutional Convention, revealing how his ideas still resonate today. Miller highlights the complexities of Morris's reputation, emphasizing his humanitarian legacy and the need to recognize his pivotal contributions to American governance.
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Jun 28, 2021 • 45min

The Surprising Pessimism of America's Founding Fathers

When Americans think about their country's Founding Fathers, they tend to think of them as cool and competent figures, who were supremely confident in the superiority and longevity of the republican government they had created. But my guest says that nearly all the founders experienced great internal and external conflict in conjunction with the new government, and came to be greatly pessimistic about the future of the democratic experiment they had helped birth. His name is Dennis C. Rasmussen and he's a professor of political theory and the author of Fears of a Setting Sun: The Disillusionment of America's Founders. Today on the show, Dennis unpacks how four of the founders — George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson — ultimately came to worry that the American republic wouldn't last past their own generation, based on concerns that ranged from the rise of partisanship to a lack of virtue amongst the American citizenry. Dennis also discusses why it was that one founder, James Madison, remained optimistic about the future of the country. We end our conversation with why the disillusionment of the founders actually carries a message of hope for us. Get the show notes at aom.is/settingsun.