Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness
Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is a 12-part series hosted by Jeffrey Rosen that explores how the founders understood personal growth, and how you can put those ideas into practice today. Pursuit is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.
New Podcast Series
Featured Episodes and Content
Episode Six: Sincerity with Phillis Wheatley
Jeffrey Rosen, Professor David Waldstreicher and Ken Burns explore how her life highlights the importance of acting with sincerity, no matter how many people may be against you.
Listen NowEpisode Seven: Resolution with George Washington
Jeffrey Rosen speaks with Washington biographer Ed Larson and Ken Burns about the importance of keeping your word and letting go.
Listen NowEpisode Eight: Moderation with Alexander Hamilton
Jeffrey Rosen, historian Stephen Knott and Ken Burns explore the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton to see what lessons he can teach us about restraint.
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Meet the Host
Jeffrey Rosen
Jeffrey Rosen is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Constitution Center, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization whose mission is to educate the public about the U.S. Constitution.
Podcast
We The People
A weekly show of constitutional debate hosted by National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen where listeners can hear the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional issues at the center of American life.
Most recent Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide To Happiness episodes
Episode Eight: Moderation with Alexander Hamilton
Jeffrey Rosen, historian Stephen Knott and Ken Burns explore the life and legacy of Alexander Hamilton to see what lessons he can teach us about restraint.
Episode Seven: Resolution with George Washington
Jeffrey Rosen speaks with Washington biographer Ed Larson and Ken Burns about the importance of keeping your word and letting go.
Episode Six: Sincerity with Phillis Wheatley
Jeffrey Rosen, Professor David Waldstreicher and Ken Burns explore how her life highlights the importance of acting with sincerity, no matter how many people may be against you.
Episode Five: Thomas Jefferson’s Debts
Jeffrey Rosen talks with Dr. Alan Shaw Taylor and Ken Burns on what we can learn from Jefferson’s commitment to education and struggles with debt.
Episode Four: Industry with Thomas Jefferson’s Reading List
In this episode, Jeffrey Rosen, with the help of scholar Eric Slauter and Ken Burns, dives into Jefferson’s recommendations and the importance of deep daily reading.
Episode Three: Humility with John and Abigail Adams
Jeffrey Rosen speaks with political historian Lindsay Chervinsky and Ken Burns on how John and Abigail supported each other through the birth of the United States.
Episode Two: Expansive Temperance with Benjamin Franklin
Jeffrey Rosen speaks with Franklin scholar Stacy Schiff about why he put temperance first on his list of virtues. Then, Ken Burns shares what he takes away from Ben Franklin’s incomplete quest for moral perfection.
Episode One: In Order to Be Happy
To start our series, Jeffrey Rosen and scholar Robert P. George trace how the meaning of pursuit of happiness has changed. Then, Ken Burns shares new perspectives on what the founders faced 250 years ago.
Preview of Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide To Happiness
Learn all about this new podcast series, which will debut on Monday, September 8.
New Resource
America at 250 Civic Toolkit
The toolkit brings to life the Declaration, the Constitution, and enduring principles that define America. It features America at 250 multimedia content, events, and continuously updated resources.
