Podcasts, Videos, & Blog Posts

Founding Stories of America’s Founding Documents
Renowned teachers of the Constitution, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and professor Kurt Lash, share founding stories of America’s founding documents from three key periods: the Declaration of Independence and the Revolution, the Founding era, and post-Civil War Reconstruction, sometimes referred to as the “second founding.”

September 10, 2020

 

The Constitutional Bounds of Executive Actions
Jeffrey Rosen is joined by constitutional and administrative law experts Adam White and David Super to examine how presidential power has grown over time, how we think about the three branches and the “political” Constitution versus the legal one, and more. 

August 20, 2020

 

The Battle for the Constitution Part Two: Coronavirus
Jeffrey Rosen is joined by scholars Deborah Pearlstein, Polly Price, and Adam White to discuss how coronavirus has impacted democracy and the forthcoming 2020 election, public health law, the functioning of government, and more.

July 14, 2020

 

The Battle for the Constitution Part One: Policing
Jeffrey Rosen is joined by former Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey, as well as First Amendment expert and law professor John Inazu, and policing expert and law professor Tracey Meares.

July 7, 2020

 

George F. Will and Sai Prakash on the Presidency
Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist George F. Will joins Saikrishna Prakash of the University of Virginia for a conversation exploring the expansion of presidential power from the founding era to today.

June 2, 2020

 

Reviving Trust and Rebuilding Institutions
Leading conservative intellectual Yuval Levin discusses why trust in America’s political, civic, media, and social institutions has declined and a path forward as described in his book, A Time to Build.

May 5, 2020

 

Why Does the Electoral College Exist?
Jesse Wegman, author of Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, William Ewald of the University of Pennsylvania, and Amel Ahmed of the University of Massachusetts Amherst explore the Electoral College’s controversial origins, the influence of founder James Wilson, and the many attempts to reform it.

April 28, 2020

 

Governing During Social Distancing
Norm Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute and lawyer and podcast host Ken White explore whether Congress and the courts can adjust to the coronavirus outbreak and the public health measures necessary to stop its spread – like social distancing – while continuing to meet their constitutional functions.

March 26, 2020

 

Civic Virtue, and Why It Matters
Margaret Taylor of Lawfare and Adam White of the American Enterprise Institute discuss the values that our founders thought were necessary to uphold American government, and whether or not the people and our representatives are living up to them.

February 13, 2020

 

What Would Madison Think of the Presidency Today?
The Center celebrates the launch of the A Madisonian Constitution for All essay series with presidential essay authors, Sai Prakash and Sean Wilentz, by diving into all things presidential ⁠— how the office was conceived of at the Founding, evolved throughout history, was impacted by the rise of political parties and partisanship, and increasingly expanded its power.

November 28, 2019

 

For Debate: Should the Constitution Be More Democratic?
Is the Constitution “democratic” enough? What does it mean to be a democracy as opposed to a republic—is there a significant difference, and why does it matter? Constitutional scholars and professors Randy Barnett of Georgetown Law and Vikram Amar of the University of Illinois College of Law sat down for a rich debate of these questions.

November 5, 2019

 

The Battle for the Constitution: Live at The Atlantic Festival
In partnership with The Atlantic, the Center presents a series of panels at the 2019 Atlantic Festival on the breaking news of the House’s impeachment inquiry into President Trump, and what separation of powers means in U.S. government today.

September 26, 2019

 

An Evening with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch
Justice Neil Gorsuch sits down with Center President Jeffrey Rosen to discuss his passion for civics and civility, the importance of separation of powers, what originalism means to him, and why he is optimistic about the future of America as described in his book A Republic, If You Can Keep It.

September 24, 2019

 

Madison v. Mason
Scholars Colleen Sheehan and Jeff Broadwater join Center President Jeffrey Rosen to explore the conflicting constitutional visions and ideas of James Madison and George Mason.

September 12, 2019

 

Can the First Amendment Save Social Media from Itself?
Experts David French, Corynne McSherry, Marietje Schaake, and Nate Persily debate whether social media companies voluntarily adopt First Amendment free speech principles to govern content posted on their platforms in a live Intelligence Squared Debate.

April 2, 2019

 

Best of 2018: ‘Madison, the Media, and the Mob’ Live at America’s Town Hall
Leading journalists Jeffrey Goldberg, Michelle Goldberg, and Jonah Goldberg to explore what Madison might think of mainstream media today and the effects of social media on modern democracy and politics. 

January 3, 2019

 

George F. Will on Madisonian Government
Center President Jeffrey Rosen sits down with Washington Post Pulitzer-prize winning columnist George F. Will, to discuss federalism, the 17th Amendment, and the state of American politics today.

May 24, 2018

 

What Would Madison Think Today?
Leading constitutional scholars Steven Calabresi and Vikram Amar explore what James Madison would think of today’s presidency, Congress, courts, and media and how we can resurrect Madisonian values today.

September 14, 2017

 

The Madisonian Constitution and the Future of Freedom
Thought leaders Mickey Edwards and Norm Ornstein reflect on the state of Congress and what Madison would think of Congress today and columnist George F. Will offers his take on the future of freedom.

April 27, 2017

Lynne Cheney: Four Presidents and the Creation of the American Nation
Bestselling historian Lynne Cheney discusses the first four Virginia presidents—George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe—and explores how these friends and rivals led in securing independence, hammering out the U.S. Constitution, and building a working republic.

September 24, 2020

 

The Current Battle for the Constitution: A Symposium
The Battle for the Constitution contributors explore the constitutional dimensions of policing, protests, and equal protection followed by a second panel exploring the key constitutional issues raised by the coronavirus crisis.

June 30, 2020

 

How to Restore Trust in America’s Institutions
Leading conservative intellectual Yuval Levin discusses why trust in America’s political, civic, media, and social institutions has declined and a path forward as described in his book, A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream.

April 28, 2020

 

Why Does the Electoral College Exist?
Jesse Wegman, author of Let the People Pick the President: The Case for Abolishing the Electoral College, William Ewald of the University of Pennsylvania, and Amel Ahmed of the University of Massachusetts Amherst explore the Electoral College’s controversial origins, the influence of founder James Wilson, and the many attempts to reform it.

April 20, 2020

 

The Battle for the Constitution: Live at The Atlantic Festival
In partnership with The Atlantic, the Center presents a series of panels at the 2019 Atlantic Festival on the breaking news of the House’s impeachment inquiry into President Trump, and what separation of powers means in U.S. government today.

September 26, 2019

 

For Debate: Should the Constitution Be More Democratic?
Recent calls to reform or amend the Electoral College as well as constitutional battles from redistricting to voting rights, have raised the question of whether the U.S. constitutional system of representative democracy is too democratic or not democratic enough. Leading constitutional scholars Randy Barnett and Vikram Amar join the debate.

September 19, 2019

 

An Evening with Justice Neil M. Gorsuch
Justice Neil Gorsuch sits down with Center President Jeffrey Rosen to discuss his passion for civics and civility, the importance of separation of powers, what originalism means to him, and why he is optimistic about the future of America as described in his book A Republic, If You Can Keep It.

September 17, 2019

 

Can the First Amendment Save Social Media from Itself?
Experts David French, Corynne McSherry, Marietje Schaake, and Nate Persily debate whether social media companies voluntarily adopt First Amendment free speech principles to govern content posted on their platforms in a live Intelligence Squared Debate.

March 4, 2019

 

The Constitution in Crisis: What Would the Founders Say?
In partnership with The Atlantic, the Center presents a national symposium with America’s thought leaders on what James Madison would make of American democracy today and how to resurrect Madison’s vision of a republic ruled by reason rather than passion. 

November 28, 2018

 

The Constitution in Crisis: Can Our Democracy Survive?
In partnership with The Atlantic, the Center presents a series of panels at the 2018 Atlantic Festival to explore the challenges to constitutional democracy today and the constitutional ideals that have defined America since its Founding.

October 2, 2018
 

Divided Power: The Re-Emergence of Federalism and the 17th Amendment
Pulitzer-Prize winner George F. Will and leading scholars and journalists discuss the 17th Amendment and explore the Founders' original vision for the Senate, the history of how direct election of senators came about, and how this century-old Amendment changed the constitutional system from the presidency to Congress to how federalism works today.

May 23, 2018

 

Bill of Rights Day 2017: The Three Lives of James Madison
As part of Bill of Rights Day 2017, law professor Noah Feldman presents a reexamination of the Founding Father as discussed in his book, The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President.

December 15, 2017

 

Freedom Day 2017: A Madisonian Constitution for All  
Some of the nation’s top thought-leaders in law, media, education, government, and business explore what James Madison would have thought of American democracy today as part of the Center's third annual Freedom Day symposium.

April 13, 2017

Five items Congress deleted from Madison’s original Bill of Rights

December 15, 2019

 

The House’s role in the impeachment inquiry process

September 25, 2019

 

On this day, Congress proposes the Bill of Rights to the states

September 25, 2019

 

The past and future of America’s political community

July 25, 2019

 

On this day: James Madison introduces the Bill of Rights

June 8, 2019

 

10 fascinating birthday facts about James Madison

March 16, 2019

 

Excerpt: America Is Living James Madison’s Nightmare

September 12, 2018

 

John Bingham: One of America’s forgotten “Second Founders

July 9, 2018