"The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America"
by Jeffrey Rosen, President & CEO of the National Constitution Center
About the Book
In The Pursuit of Liberty, bestselling author and president of the National Constitution Center Jeffrey Rosen explores 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: Jefferson championed states’ rights and individual liberties, while Hamilton pushed for a strong Federal government and a powerful executive. 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 push to shrink the size of the federal government.
Rosen also shows how Hamilton and Jefferson’s disagreement over how to read 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 are consolidating power and subverting the Constitution—the very threat to American democracy that both Hamilton and Jefferson were determined to avoid. The Pursuit of Liberty is 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.
Where to Purchase:
Simon & Schuster
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-a-Million
Target
Hudson Book Sellers
Walmart
About Jeffrey Rosen
Rosen is the president and CEO of the National Constitution Center where he is host of the weekly podcast, We the People. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic.
His other books include New York Times bestsellers The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America and Conversations with RBG: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law, as well as biographies of Louis Brandeis and William Howard Taft.
The Pursuit of Liberty: A Book Launch Event with Jeffrey Rosen and Jeffrey Goldberg
On October 21, 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm, join National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and Atlantic Editor-in-Chief Jeffrey Goldberg for the launch of Rosen’s new book, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America. The book explores how the opposing constitutional visions of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton have defined the nation since its founding, shaped presidents from Washington to Trump, and continued to drive today’s debates over government power. A book sale and signing will follow the program.
This program is presented in partnership with The Atlantic and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.
Upcoming Speaking Engagements
Harrisburg Book Festival
Harrisburg, PA
National Constitution Center
Philadelphia, PA
Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center
New York, NY
State of America Summit
New York, NY
Politics & Prose
Washington, DC
Harvard Book Store
Cambridge, MA
Early Praise for The Pursuit of Liberty
“A lucid work of political history that affords an intriguing view of the nation both in its founding years and today.”
“Rosen’s clearly organized synthesis of American life and history, along with well-placed references to the musical Hamilton, offers a useful context for his assessment of Hamiltonian and Jeffersonian influences on the Supreme Court. And his biographical sketches of justices past and present are detailed and vivid, bringing the law to life."
“There may be no more important argument in American history than the one between Jefferson and Hamilton over the role of government in the new republic. Jeffrey Rosen has written a powerful and timely account of this foundational debate."
“Jeffrey Rosen brilliantly illuminates a core division that has shaped American life from the start. A must-read for anyone looking to make sense of the American story."
“Jeffrey Rosen has given us another great gift: a wise, searching, and illuminating study of the tumultuous dawn of American politics and partisanship. This book is at once an important work of history and a clarifying lens on our own time."
“An invigorating, marvelously cogent tour of democracy and its limits."
“Jeffrey Rosen’s writings are invariably timely because of his unequaled ability to trace the pedigree of current controversies to timeless subjects the Founders addressed."
“An exciting and authoritative book tracing the ways our politicians have used the principles of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton throughout our history. . . . It’s the kind of honest and impartial history we desperately need."
