National Constitution Ctr

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Channel • 3 Shows

History

History

Updated Weekly
News Commentary

News Commentary

Updated Weekly
History

History

Updated Weekly

6D AGO

Ed Larson on Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Edward Larson discusses his newest book, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Still Matters, which traces the idea of American independence in one pivotal year—1776—and its continued significance today. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall program series on November 24, 2025. Resources Ed Larson, Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters (2025) Thomas Paine, Common Sense (1776) John Adams, Thoughts on Government (1776) George Mason, First Draft of the Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) Stay Connected and Learn More   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 Explore Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness ⁠Sign up⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming ⁠live program⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠YouTube⁠ Support our important work ⁠⁠Donate

6d ago

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1 hr
SEP 8

In Order to Be Happy

The “pursuit of happiness” is one of the most famous phrases in American history, and when America’s founders wrote it in the Declaration of Independence, they intended it to mean happiness through lifelong learning and self-improvement. Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 8

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29 min
DEC 11

Can President Trump Fire a Federal Trade Commissioner Without Cause?

In this episode, Thomas Berry of the Cato Institute and Jed Shugerman of the Boston University School of Law join the recap the oral arguments from Trump v. Slaughter and debate whether the statutory removal protections for members of the Federal Trade Commission violate the separation of powers. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources Thomas Berry, Brief of the Cato Institute as Amicus Curiae in Support of Petitioners (10/17/2025) Jed Shugerman, Brief Amicus Curiae of Professor Jed Handelsman Shugerman in Support of Respondents (11/14/2025) Jed Shugerman, “The Indecisions of 1789: Inconstant Originalism and Strategic Ambiguity” (2023) Jane Manners and Lev Menand, “The Three Permissions: Presidential Removal and the Statutory Limits of Agency Independence” (2021) Marbury v. Madison (1803) Myers v. United States (1926) Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935) Morrison v. Olson (1988) Seila Law LLC v. CFPB (2020) Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Explore ⁠Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness⁠ ⁠Sign up⁠ to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming ⁠live program⁠ or watch recordings on ⁠YouTube⁠ Support our important work: ⁠⁠⁠Donate

Dec 11

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1h 7m
DEC 9 · BONUS

Twelve Titans Song Cycle

In this bonus episode, we are sharing recordings from the Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness podcast launch event featuring a performance of Jeffrey Rosen’s The Golden Mean: Songs for the Pursuit of Happiness and Twelve Titans: Songs of the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses in Philadelphia. Jeffrey Rosen, author of The Pursuit of Happiness and host of the podcast, performs his original songs inspired by the book’s exploration of the classical writers on virtue that shaped the founders. This performance features Jeffrey Rosen and pianist Jennifer Blyth with arrangements by Greg Strohman. Pursuit of Happiness: Song Cycles © ℗ Jeffrey Rosen. All Rights Reserved. Resources Watch the full performance of the ⁠Pursuit of Happiness: Song Cycles⁠ by Jeffrey Rosen Twelve Titans: Songs of the Greek and Roman Gods and Goddesses, music and lyrics by Jeffrey Rosen [PDF] Jeffrey Rosen, ⁠The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America⁠, (2024) Jeffrey Rosen, ⁠The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America⁠, (2025) Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Dec 9 · Bonus

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42 min
SEP 16

Expansive Temperance with Benjamin Franklin

In his autobiography at the age of 79, Benjamin Franklin attributed the happiness of his long life to his “evenness of temper,” rather than to his public accomplishments. Jeffrey Rosen speaks with Franklin scholar Stacy Schiff about why he put temperance first on his list of virtues. Then, Ken Burns shares what he takes away from Ben Franklin’s incomplete quest for moral perfection. Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 16

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38 min
OCT 21

Resolution with George Washington

George Washington’s defining leadership quality is that he fulfilled his promise to relinquish power after the conclusion of both the Revolutionary War and his second presidential term. Jeffrey Rosen speaks with Ken Burns and Washington biographer Ed Larson about the importance of keeping your word and letting go. Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 21

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32 min
OCT 7

Thomas Jefferson’s Debts

Thomas Jefferson was well-known for offering advice about industry and frugality to his family members and friends, and he was passionate about expanding public education in America. Unfortunately, he did not always live up to his own ideals. Jeffrey Rosen talks with Dr. Alan Shaw Taylor and Ken Burns on what we can learn from Jefferson’s commitment to education and struggles with debt. Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Oct 7

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39 min
TRAILER

Trailer - Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness

Here’s something that you probably didn’t learn in school: America’s founders spent much of their time reading about how to be better people. And that lifelong quest for self-improvement––in order to be more virtuous citizens––was what they meant by “the pursuit of happiness.” They defined happiness as a quest for being good, not feeling good. However, the founders often failed to live up to this lofty goal, and many were honest about their shortcomings. Each episode of Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness expands upon one of the classical virtues that inspired Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson––like temperance, humility, silence, and justice––through the founders’ own writings and through conversations with the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker Ken Burns joins host Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, to share their own founders-inspired self-improvement practices. As we near the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, exploring the true meaning of the “pursuit of happiness” inspires us to reflect on the importance of lifelong learning and how we can change our own lives for the better. Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness, is a 12-part series hosted by Jeffrey Rosen featuring Ken Burns and leading scholars. It explores how the founders understood personal growth and lifelong learning as essential to the common good, why those ideas matter today, and how you can put them into practice. Listen to Pursuit in your favorite podcast app. Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Trailer

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4 min
NOV 25

Silence in Order to Listen

In our last episode, listeners share some big and small changes that they have made. Plus, Jeffrey Rosen, filmmaker Ken Burns, and scholar Robert P. George explore Benjamin Franklin’s virtue of silence, which he defines as “speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.” Watch the full performance of the Pursuit of Happiness: Song Cycles by Jeffrey Rosen. Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Nov 25

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26 min
SEP 23

Humility with John and Abigail Adams

John and Abigail Adams formed a partnership fueled by intellectual curiosity, a desire to be the best versions of themselves and many, many letters. Jeffrey Rosen speaks with political historian Lindsay Chervinsky and Ken Burns on how John and Abigail supported each other through the birth of the United States. Stay Connected and Learn More 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 Learn more about the NCC’s and Arizona State University's new online course on civic virtue, 'What the Founders Meant by “Happiness”: A Journey Through Virtue and Character’ and sign up for email updates Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate Follow, rate, and review wherever you listen Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube Support our important work: Donate Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness is made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation. © 2025 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved.

Sep 23

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34 min

Listen to the latest discussions, debates, and analysis on the biggest constitutional issues of the day from the National Constitution Center.

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National Constitution Ctr

Top Shows

Ed Larson on Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters

In Order to Be Happy

Can President Trump Fire a Federal Trade Commissioner Without Cause?

Twelve Titans Song Cycle

Expansive Temperance with Benjamin Franklin

Resolution with George Washington

Thomas Jefferson’s Debts

Trailer - Pursuit: The Founders' Guide to Happiness

Silence in Order to Listen

Humility with John and Abigail Adams

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