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Jon Meacham on The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals Jun 02, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and National Constitution Center Semiquincentennial Scholar Jon Meacham joins the Center to discuss The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals. Presented by the National Constitution Center, The Promise of America is an inspirational collection of essays exploring the founding principles that continue to shape American democracy from the nation’s leading constitutional scholars. This print volume builds on the foundation of the Center’s Interactive Declaration of Independence and America at 250 Civic Toolkit, bringing together new essays, primary sources, and interpretive scholarship in a lasting, portable format designed to support deeper reflection and shared civic dialogue. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals

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Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals: A Conversation with Justice Stephen Breyer (Ret.) May 26, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer (Ret.), honorary co-chair of the National Constitution Center, joins to discuss The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals, a new keepsake volume from the National Constitution Center. Justice Breyer, who wrote the book’s foreword, reflects on the enduring constitutional ideals explored in the volume and their continued relevance today. He is joined in conversation with the Honorable Cheryl Ann Krause, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and member of the National Constitution Center board of trustees.

Resources

The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals
Justice Stephen G. Breyer, “It's up to us whether the American experiment succeeds,” (USA Today, May 11, 2026)
Justice Neil Gorsuch, “How Imperfect People Form a More Perfect Union,” (Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2026)

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
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Michael Auslin on National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America May 19, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Michael Auslin joins to discuss his new book, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America, a sweeping and vivid history of the Declaration of Independence from its drafting to its enduring role in American life today. Tracing the remarkable journey of this iconic document—from a Philadelphia boarding house to wartime hiding places and its place as a national symbol—Auslin explores how its ideals of liberty and equality have inspired generations and continue to shape the American experiment. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

Michael Auslin, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America
National Constitution Center, Interactive Declaration of Independence

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Sai Prakash on The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History May 12, 2026

Show notes

Sai Prakash joins to discuss his new book, The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History. The Constitution’s Pardon Clause grants the president a power unmatched in scope and consequence. In The Presidential Pardon, Prakash explores how this brief clause has grown into the most expansive and controversial tool of the modern presidency. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Additional Resources

Sai Prakash, The Presidential Pardon: The Short Clause with a Long, Troubled History
National Constitution Center, Article II and the Pardon Clause
National Constitution Center, The Nixon pardon in constitutional retrospect
National Constitution Center, 10 famous people who received presidential pardons

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
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Sarah Isgur on Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today’s Supreme Court May 05, 2026

Show notes

Sarah Isgur joins for a conversation on her new book, Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court. Drawing on history, law, and current debates, Sarah Isgur offers an engaging look at the Supreme Court, exploring its unique role in American democracy, how the Court became the nation’s “last branch standing,” and what its growing power means for the future of the Constitution. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources 

Sarah Isgur, Last Branch Standing: A Potentially Surprising, Occasionally Witty Journey Inside Today's Supreme Court

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
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Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Women and the American Revolution Apr 07, 2026

Show notes

Acclaimed historians Mary Beth Norton, the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita of American History at Cornell University, and Rosemarie Zagarri, distinguished university professor of history at George Mason University, examine how women influenced the political, social, and intellectual currents of the American Revolution. The conversation explores how women’s experiences and contributions deepen and expand our understanding of America’s founding. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

Mary Beth Norton, Founding Mothers & Fathers: Gendered Power and the Forming of American Society
Mary Beth Norton, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution
Rosemarie Zagarri, Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic
Rosemarie Zagarri, “The Declaration’s Grievances Against the King”

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
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Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Women’s Suffrage, and the Legacy of the 19th Amendment Mar 31, 2026

Show notes

In celebration of Women’s History Month, award-winning historian Ellen DuBois, author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life, discusses the life, ideas, and legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the decades-long struggle for women’s suffrage. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

Ellen Carol DuBois, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life (2026)
Ellen Carol DuBois, Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote (2020)
Ellen Carol DuBois, Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences 1815-1897 (2020)
Minor v. Happersett (1875)
National Constitution Center, The 19th Amendment

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
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National Constitution Center Book Club: Jon Meacham Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and National Constitution Center Semiquincentennial Scholar Jon Meacham joins to discuss his book American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union. The book brings together pivotal speeches, letters, and essays from across American history to illuminate the enduring tensions that shape our democracy. Meacham reflects on the questions and challenges that faced America and continue to inform our national legacy. Vince Stango, interim president and chief executive officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

Jon Meacham, American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at programs@constitutioncenter.org
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the America at 250 Civic Toolkit
Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
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Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube
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Thomas Paine and the 250th Anniversary of Common Sense Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Gary Berton, the president of The Thomas Paine Historical Association, joins Scott Cleary, co-editor of New Directions in Thomas Paine Studies and author of The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry, to discuss the revolutionary life, ideas, and legacy of Thomas Paine in celebration of the 250th anniversary of his famous pamphlet, Common Sense. Julie Silverbrook, vice president of civic education of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

This program is generously sponsored by Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of Travelers.

Resources

Scott Cleary, New Directions in Thomas Paine Studies
Scott Cleary, The Field of Imagination: Thomas Paine and Eighteenth-Century Poetry
Thomas Paine, Common Sense
Richard Rosenfeld, American Aurora: A Democratic-Republican Returns

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠programs@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
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The Declaration of Independence and the Push for Racial Equality Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

In celebration of Black History Month, scholars Lucas Morel and Melvin Rogers join to discuss how African American leaders and citizens, such as Prince Hall, Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. have invoked the ideas and principles of the Declaration of Independence throughout American history to push for a more free and equal America. Thomas Donnelly, chief scholar of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources

National Constitution Center, "The Declaration Across History" Primary Sources
Lucas Morel, Lincoln and the American Founding
Melvin Rogers, The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠programs@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr
Explore the⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate
Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen
Join us for an upcoming ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠live program⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠
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