This episode is a two-part show on Alexander Hamilton. First, in a new episode of the podcast Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness, Jeffrey Rosen, historian Stephen Knott, and filmmaker Ken Burns unpack Hamilton’s life and legacy to see what lessons he can teach us about restraint. Then, Jeffrey Rosen and acclaimed historian and biographer Ron Chernow further explore the meteoric rise, inspiring life, and tragic death of Hamilton in a conversation from the NCC’s 2025 Liberty Medal Ceremony.
Follow We the People, Live at the National Constitution Center, and Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.
This episode was produced by Bill Pollock and Griffin Richie. It was recorded by PRX, Advanced Staging Productions, David Stotz, and mixed by Bill Pollock. Research was provided by Griffin Richie, Anna Salvatore, Trey Sullivan, and Tristan Worsham.
Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is produced by PRX Productions for the National Constitution Center. It is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
Episode 8, Moderation with Alexander Hamilton is hosted by Jeffrey Rosen, featuring Stephen Knott and Ken Burns with voice acting by Gregory Parks.
From PRX Productions: Genevieve Sponsler, Courtney Fleurantin, David Newtown, Sandra Lopez Monsalve, Tommy Bazarian, Pedro Rafael Rosado, and Jocelyn Gonzalez.
The Golden Mean: Songs for the Pursuit of Happiness by Jeffrey Rosen. Arrangements by Greg Strohman. Featuring James Martin, Jennifer Blyth, and Greg Strohman.
Participants
Ken Burns has been a pioneering force in American documentary filmmaking for nearly half a century. He has directed and produced some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz; The War; and most recently, Leonardo da Vinci. His films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including 17 Emmy Awards and two Grammy Awards. His upcoming projects include The American Revolution, which will premiere on November 16, 2025.
Ron Chernow is a prizewinning author of American history and the recipient of the 2015 National Humanities Medal. Washington: A Life won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, and Alexander Hamilton—the inspiration for the Broadway musical—won the George Washington Book Prize. His most recent book is Mark Twain.
Stephen Knott is an emeritus professor of national security affairs at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI. Prior to accepting his position at the Naval War College, Knott was co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. He is the author/editor of ten books dealing with the American presidency, the early republic, and American foreign policy.
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. He is also professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. His new book is Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America.
Resources
- Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness (2025)
- Ron Chernow, Alexander Hamilton (2005)
- Jeffrey Rosen, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America (2025)
- The National Constitution Center’s 37th annual Liberty Medal
- Pursuit of Happiness, Song Cycles by Jeffrey Rosen, CSPAN
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