In celebration of Bill of Rights Day—the anniversary of the ratification of the first ten amendments to the Constitution, December 15th—we’re bringing you one of our favorite conversations from Bill of Rights Day 2017. Gerard Magliocca discusses his book The Heart of the Constitution: How the Bill of Rights Became the Bill of Rights, which tells the untold story of the most celebrated part of the Constitution, with NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. 

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NCC President Jeffrey Rosen sits down with three scholarly experts on James Madison—Professors Greg Weiner, Colleen Sheehan, and Larry Kramer—to explore everything Madison, including his views on the importance of time in politics, his desire for rule by reason rather than passion, and his vision for republican government. This panel was produced in partnership with The Atlantic as part of our national symposium, The Constitution in Crisis: What Would the Founders Think?

National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen moderates the first gathering of the Goldberg's: Jeffrey Goldberg, editor in chief of The Atlantic; Michelle Goldberg, op-ed columnist for The New York Times; and Jonah Goldberg, senior editor of the National Review. These distinguished journalists share their insights into what James Madison would think of mainstream media, social media, and politics today. They explore everything from Twitter mobs and Facebook content regulation to the problems facing our American institutions, including Congress' decline in power, Americans' retreat from civil society, and heightened tribalism and partisanship.

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Senator Chris Coons of Delaware breaks down the recent developments related to his efforts to pass legislation that would protect the Special Counsel. He also shares his plans to make the Constitution a bigger part of the work of the Senate, in a sit-down with his law school classmate, National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen. 

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In memory of President George H.W. Bush, the 41st president who passed away November 30th, 2018, we’re sharing a conversation with Jon Meachem, author of Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Ryan Lizza, then the Washington Correspondent at The New Yorker, moderated the conversation, held at the National Constitution Center in 2015.

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Through a smash Broadway hit, Alexander Hamilton has reentered the American imagination. In this episode, Judge Ketanji Jackson, Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, University of Kentucky College of Law Professor Joshua Douglas, and attorney Vanessa Nadal discuss what Hamilton, both the man and the musical, have to teach us about the Constitution and the law. The panel explores the ways that Hamilton's resurgence has encouraged people of all ages to engage with America's early history, the stories of the Framers, and the legendary life of Hamilton. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderated this panel, produced in partnership with the Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law and presented live at the NCC. 

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Citizenship is central to many of today's most pressing constitutional debates, from proposals to end birthright citizenship and add a citizenship question to the census, to questions over the future of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy. Illuminating all sides of these issues, Jaya Ramji-Nogales of Temple University, John Eastman of Chapman University, and Ruth Wasem of the University of Texas at Austin explore what it means to be a citizen today and consider the ways that citizenship is intertwined with core American values. This panel, presented in partnership with the Philadelphia Museum of Art and in conjunction with the exhibit And Europe Will Be Stunned, was moderated by National Constitution Center President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen and the NCC’s new Vice President of Content and Development, Sheldon Gilbert.  

Former special prosecutor Ken Starr shares his definitive account of one of the most divisive periods in American history in his new book, Contempt: A Memoir of The Clinton Investigation. Starr offers his unique perspective on the investigation that eventually led to the impeachment of President William J. Clinton. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Presidential historian Michael Beschloss discusses his new book, Presidents of War, exploring presidential war powers and stories of presidents during wartime. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and author of the new book, 51 Imperfect Solutions: States and the Making of American Constitutional Law, explores four constitutional debates — school funding, the exclusionary rule, eugenics, and mandatory flag salutes — to shed light on the importance of state courts and state constitutions in protecting liberty. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates.