In honor of Presidents Day, this episode of We the People covers memorable writings and speeches from former presidents that help make up some of the foundational texts and ideas of our nation. In particular, we’ll take a close look at the words of George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison as they reveal the former presidents’ thoughts the challenges of creating a nation; on the role public opinion plays in governance; on happiness and its pursuit and how that factors into the role government should play in our everyday lives; and more. Nancy Isenberg, professor of history at Louisiana State University and co-author of Madison and Jefferson and The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality; and Colleen Sheehan, professor of politics at Arizona State and author of The Mind of James Madison: The Legacy of Classical Republicanism and James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government, join host Jeffrey Rosen for an illuminating discussion.
FULL PODCAST
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This episode was produced by Melody Rowell and engineered by Dave Stotz. Research was provided by Kevin Closs, Ruben Aguirre, Sam Desai, and Lana Ulrich.
Participants
Nancy Isenberg is the T. Harry Williams Professor of history at Louisiana State University. She is the author of White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America. With co-author Andrew Burstein, she has also written Madison and Jefferson and The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality.
Colleen Sheehan is Professor of Politics at the Arizona State School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. She has served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. She has been an Earhart Fellow, Bradley Fellow, and Garwood Fellow at the James Madison Program of Princeton University. She is author of The Mind of James Madison: The Legacy of Classical Republicanism and James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government.
Jeffrey Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization devoted to educating the public about the U.S. Constitution. Rosen is also professor of law at The George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
Additional Resources
- Washington’s farewell address (1796)
- Adams’s Thoughts on Government (1776)
- Jefferson’s Virginia and Madison’s Kentucky Resolutions (1798) and Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom (1786)
- Madison’s National Gazette essays (Public Opinion, Government, and British Government)
- Washington’s 1783 Circular Letter
- The Mind of James Madison: The Legacy of Classical Republicanism, by Colleen Sheehan (2015)
- James Madison and the Spirit of Republican Self-Government, by Colleen Sheehan (2009)
- The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality, by Nancy Isenberg and Andrew Burstein (2019)
- White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, by Nancy Isenberg (2016)
- Madison and Jefferson, by Nancy Isenberg and Andrew Burstein (2010)
TRANSCRIPT
This transcript may not be in its final form, accuracy may vary, and it may be updated or revised in the future.
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