Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson discusses his newest book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Still Matters, which traces the idea of American independence in one pivotal year—1776—and its continued significance today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall program series on November 24, 2025.
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Today’s episode was produced by Bill Pollock and Griffin Richie. It was recorded by Scott Bomboy and Greg Scheckler and mixed by Bill Pollock. Research was provided by Griffin Richie, Anna Salvatore, Trey Sullivan, and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Edward Larson is the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law and University Professor of History at Pepperdine University. Larson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, and author of several books including American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795 (2023); Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership (2020); George Washington, Nationalist (2016); The Return of George Washington: Uniting the States, 1783-1789& (2014); and most recently, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Still Matters (2025).
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
- Ed Larson, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters (2025)
- Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776)
- John Adams, Thoughts on Government (1776)
- George Mason, First Draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)
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