Live at the National Constitution Center

This year marks the 400th anniversary of the start of American slavery, as the first ship brought enslaved Africans to the British colony of Virginia in August 1619. And, this time of year in 1787, the Framers were debating early drafts of the Constitution and wrestling with foundational questions about the new American republic – many of which surrounded the status of enslaved peoples. Historian Sean Wilentz reconsidered the Founders’ debates over slavery and the Constitution in this Town Hall – arguing that the original Constitution actually limited slavery’s legitimacy, and that the Framers did not formally enshrine the idea that there could be “property in man.” He discussed his book, ‘No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at the Nation’s Founding’, with National Constitution Center President Jeff Rosen here at the NCC last fall.  Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

John Marshall—the fourth Chief Justice of the United States—led the Supreme Court for over 24 years, starting in 1801, and transformed it into the powerful branch we know today. This week, we’re sharing a conversation from last fall with Richard Brookhiser, senior editor of National Review and author of 'John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court', who visited the National Constitution Center to discuss Marshall’s legacy. He sat down with NCC Scholar-in-Residence Michael Gerhardt. If you enjoyed this constitutional conversation, please check out the most recent episode of our companion podcast We the People— "The Federalists vs. The Anti-Federalists"—which explored the biggest constitutional debates among Federalists like John Marshall and his famous Founding-Father peers.  Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

The office of the presidency has forged some of our nation’s very best, and very worst, leaders. In this Town Hall, a panel of presidential biographers explores what makes or breaks a presidency, and how presidents are ranked over time. C-SPAN Executive Chair Brian Lamb moderates a conversation with National Constitution Center President Jeff Rosen, NCC Scholar-in-Residence Michael Gerhardt, and author and journalist Robert Strauss. First, C-SPAN President Susan Swain introduces the panel as well as CSPAN’s new book 'The Presidents: Noted Historians Rank America's Best—and Worst—Chief Executives'.  This program was presented in partnership with C-SPAN. For more on The Presidents, visit c-span.org/thepresidents.  Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Earlier this summer, historians Nancy Isenberg and Andrew Burstein visited the National Constitution Center to discuss their new book 'The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality'. Professors Isenberg and Burstein, both of Louisiana State University, discussed the lives and political careers of father and son presidents John and John Quincy Adams, and explored the politics of personality in early America. They sat down with Lana Ulrich, senior director of content at the National Constitution Center. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist George F. Will returned to the National Constitution Center stage last month to discuss his new book, 'The Conservative Sensibility', a reflection on American conservatism. He sat down with National Constitution Center President Jeffrey Rosen for a wide-ranging conversation, sharing his thoughts on everything from natural rights and the Declaration of Independence through the Woodrow Wilson presidency and up to the Roberts Court. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

Earlier this summer, the National Constitution Center hosted a conversation about the untold stories of women abolitionists, suffragists, and even soldiers during the Civil War. NCC Senior Director of Content Lana Ulrich sat down with noted historians Thavolia Glymph of Duke University,  Kate Masur of Northwestern University, and Catherine Clinton of the University of Texas in San Antonio. These scholars told fascinating stories from the lives of women like Harriet Scott, Ida B. Wells, and Harriet Tubman. This event celebrated our new exhibit ‘Civil War and Reconstruction: the Battle for Freedom and Equality’ which Glymph and Masur helped produce as members of our exhibit's advisory board.  This conversation was presented in partnership with Drexel University's national women's equality initiative, Vision 2020.Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

NCC President Jeffrey Rosen recently traveled to Aspen, Colorado for the Aspen Ideas Festival, where he moderated a panel on the 2018-19 Supreme Court term featuring an all-star line-up of legal commentators: appellate lawyers and former Solicitors General Neal Katyal and Ted Olson, Harvard legal history professor Annette Gordon-Reed, CNN legal analyst Joan Biskupic, and New York Times Magazine staff writer and Yale Law School lecturer Emily Bazelon. The panel explored how the Court’s recent decisions – including the census citizenship question and partisan gerrymandering decisions – will affect our lives. They also discussed the future of abortion rights and of the administrative state at the Court, the dynamics of the new Roberts Court, and much more. This conversation was presented by the Aspen Institute as part of the Aspen Ideas Festival. Questions or comments about the podcast? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org. 

In this bonus episode of our series #1AUSA – conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future, from the National Conference on the First Amendment at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh – artist and activist Simon Tam and his band The Slants tell their story and perform some of their music. Simon Tam led The Slants – an Asian-American dance-rock band – all the way to the Supreme Court to fight to trademark their band’s name, which they purposely chose as reclamation of a slur used against Asian-Americans. They eventually won their case, Matal v. Tam, when the Court unanimously decided that a federal law prohibiting trademark names that disparage others was unconstitutional because “speech may not be banned on the grounds that it expresses ideas that offend.” Since then, Tam and the band have toured the country speaking about the First Amendment and the Constitution, and Tam authored the book 'Slanted: How an Asian American Troublemaker Took on the Supreme Court'.  This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a. Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

In part five of our series #1AUSA – conversations on the First Amendment’s past, present, and future, from the National Conference on the First Amendment at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh – NCC President Jeff Rosen sits down with college presidents David A. Thomas of Morehouse College, Robert Zimmer of the University of Chicago, and Teresa Sullivan, president emerita of the University of Virginia. Sullivan shares the challenges of serving as president during the “Unite the Right” protests in Charlottesville, and all three presidents discuss their efforts to foster free speech and intellectual diversity on their campuses. Later, you’ll hear from a panel of journalists who have reported in foreign countries. They share stories of the sometimes life-threatening situations they and their colleagues face, and of the disparities in press freedom around the world. The emcee you’ll hear from later on is Joy McNally.This episode was presented by Duquesne University and The Pittsburgh Foundation. For more information about the National Conference on the First Amendment, visit www.duq.edu/1a.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.

How do judges manage the personal challenges that their role often requires them to face, including unconscious bias, chronic stress, exposure to emotionally-charged circumstances, and public pressure and scrutiny? Current and former judges join in candid conversations about how they have managed these challenges and how they have approached their work.The first panel features moderator Michael Lewis, author of books like ‘Moneyball’ and ‘The Big Short’ and host of the podcast ‘Against the Rules’, in conversation with Justice Eva Guzman of the Supreme Court of Texas and Judge Charles Breyer of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. The second panel is moderated by National Constitution Center President Jeff Rosen, who sits down with Executive Director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute and former U.S. District judge for the Northern District of California Jeremy Fogel, former Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court Carlos Moreno, former Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit Deanell Reece Tacha.Questions or comments about the show? Email us at podcast@constitutioncenter.org.