In this episode, scholars Nicholas Cole and Robert Williams examine how American constitutional democracy is rooted in the crafting of Revolutionary-era state constitutions. Beginning in May 1776, Americans gave independence meaning by writing state constitutions, experimenting with self-government, and rooting political authority in the people. Cole and Williams explore this critical and often overlooked chapter of the founding era and how these early state constitutions shaped ideas about rights, government, and limits on power, helping to define the nation’s constitutional tradition and set its trajectory for generations to come. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
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This episode was produced and mixed by Bill Pollock. With production support from Charles Sahm. Research was provided by Anna Salvatore, Trey Sullivan, and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Nicholas Cole is a historian of American legal history and political thought. He is a senior research fellow at Pembroke College, University of Oxford, and director of the Quill Project, which examines how constitutions and treaties have been negotiated over the last 200 years.
Robert Williams is a distinguished professor of law emeritus at Rutgers Law School. He is a leading expert in state constitutional law and served as director of the Center for State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers.
Julie Silverbrook is chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center where she leads the strategy, development, and delivery of the Center’s content, public programs, and educational initiatives, advancing its mission of nonpartisan constitutional education and civil dialogue.
Additional Resources
- Nicholas Cole, Quill Project
- Robert Williams, The Law of American State Constitutions (2023)
- Constitution of New Hampshire (January 5, 1776)
- Constitution of South Carolina (March 26, 1776)
- Constitution of Virginia (June 29, 1776)
- Constitution of New Jersey (July 2, 1776)
- Constitution of Delaware (September 10, 1776)
- Constitution of Pennsylvania (September 28, 1776)
- Constitution of Maryland (November 11, 1776)
- Constitution of North Carolina (December 18, 1776)
- Constitution of Georgia (February 5, 1777)
- Constitution of New York (April 20, 1777)
- Constitution of Vermont (July 8, 1777)
- Constitution of South Carolina (March 19, 1778)
- Constitution of Massachusetts (June 15, 1780)
- Constitution of Vermont (July 4, 1786)
- Marbury v. Madison (1803)
- Alison L. LaCroix, The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms (2024)
- Gordon S. Wood, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 (1998)
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