Jeffrey Rosen interviews three contributors to the recently published compendium My Fellow Americans: Presidents and Their Inaugural Addresses, Michael Gerhardt, Kate Masur, and Ted Widmer. They reflect on President Trump’s second inaugural speech and discuss inaugural addresses throughout American history. This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall program series on Jan. 21, 2025.
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Today’s episode was produced by Tanaya Tauber, Lana Ulrich, Samson Mostashari, and Bill Pollock. It was engineered by Kevin Kilborne and Bill Pollock. Research was provided by Samson Mostashari and Gyuha Lee.
Participants
Michael Gerhardt is the Burton Craige Distinguished Professor of Jurisprudence at the University of North Carolina. The author numerous leading treatises on impeachment, appointments, presidential power, Supreme Court precedent, and separation of powers, he is also the author of several books, including The Forgotten Presidents: Their Untold Constitutional Legacy, Lincoln’s Mentors: The Education of a Leader, The Law of Presidential Impeachment: A Guide for the Engaged Citizen, and most recently, FDR’s Mentors: Navigating the Path to Greatness.
Kate Masur is the board of visitors professor of history at Northwestern University. A finalist for the Lincoln Prize, she is author and editor of acclaimed books on the Civil War and Reconstruction. Her recent book, Until Justice Be Done: America’s First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History.
Ted Widmer is Distinguished Lecturer at Macaulay Honors College (CUNY). A historian and former presidential aide, he helped to create and often contributed to The New York Times “Disunion,” a digital history of the Civil War. He is the author of several books including, Lincoln on the Verge: Thirteen Days to Washington.
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
- Yuvraj Singh and Ted Widmer, My Fellow Americans: Presidents and Their Inaugural Addresses (2024)
- Martin Van Buren, Inaugural Address (March 4, 1837)
- Donald Trump, Second Inaugural Address (Jan. 20, 2025)
- Andrew Jackson, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1829)
- Andrew Jackson, Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1833)
- Grover Cleveland, Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1893)
- Abraham Lincoln, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1861)
- Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address (March 4, 1865)
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, First Inaugural Address (March 4, 1933)
- John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address (Jan. 20, 1961)
- Joe Biden, Inaugural Address (Jan. 20, 2021)
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