In this episode, author Scott S. Greenberger discusses his new book, The Forsaken Founder, which explores the colorful life and consequential legacy of Gouverneur Morris, the “Penman of the Constitution,” an often overlooked and forgotten figure of the American founding. Greenberger highlights Morris’s indispensable contributions to the American Revolution, his central role in shaping the language and structure of the Constitution, and how he helped to guide the early republic in its fragile first years. 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 Sebastian Ramierez, Anna Salvatore, and Tristan Worsham.
Participants
Scott S. Greenberger is the executive editor of Stateline, where he leads a team of journalists who report on state policy trends across the country. He was a newspaper reporter for 12 years, first at the Austin American-Statesman and then at the Boston Globe, and has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, GQ, Glamour, Washington Monthly, Moment magazine, and Washington City Paper. He is coauthor of Critical: What We Can Do About the Health-Care Crisis and author of The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur.
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. She oversees the creation of public-facing constitutional content and works to ensure the Center’s programs, scholarly engagement, and educational resources operate as a coordinated national strategy serving students, educators, families, and lifelong learners across the country.
Additional Resources
- Scott S. Greenberger, The Forsaken Founder: Gouverneur Morris, the Unsung Patriot Who Wrote the Constitution, Stood Up to Slavery, and Survived the Reign of Terror (2026)
- Gouverneur Morris, Constitutional Convention Speeches (1787), National Constitution Center
- Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816), National Constitution Center
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