We The People

The Pursuit of Liberty: A Conversation with Jeffrey Rosen and Jeffrey Goldberg

October 23, 2025

Jeffrey Rosen launched his new book, The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America, at the National Constitution Center in conversation with Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic. The book explores how the opposing constitutional visions of Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton have defined the nation since its founding, shaped presidents from Washington to Trump, and continued to drive today’s debates over government power. This program was recorded live in Philadelphia on October 21, 2025, and presented in partnership with The Atlantic and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

Follow We the People, Live at the National Constitution Center, and Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app.

This episode was produced by Bill Pollock and Griffin Richie. It was recorded by Advanced Staging Productions, David Stotz, and mixed by Bill Pollock. Research was provided by Samson Mostashari, and Cooper Smith.

 

Participants

Jeffrey Goldberg is the editor in chief of The Atlantic and the moderator of Washington Week With The Atlantic. He joined The Atlantic in 2007 as a national correspondent and in 2016 was named the magazine’s 15th editor in chief. Before joining The Atlantic, Goldberg served as the Middle East correspondent, and then the Washington correspondent, for The New Yorker. Earlier in his career, he was a writer for The New York Times Magazine. He began his career as a police reporter for The Washington Post. He is the author of Prisoners: A Story of Friendship and Terror.

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. He is also professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. His new book is Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America.

 

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