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The Road to Now

#211 The Constitution w/ Jeffrey Rosen

The Road to Now

Benjamin Sawyer

Society & Culture, History

4.8628 Ratings

🗓️ 25 October 2021

⏱️ 59 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In May of 1787, delegates from 12 states met in Philadelphia and began debating what would become the US Constitution. They published the document the following September and we've been arguing about it ever since.

As President & CEO of the The National Constitution Center, Jeffrey Rosen is responsible for fulfilling the center's mission to "disseminate information about the United States Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people." In this episode, Jeffrey joins Bob & Ben for a discussion about the Constitution, the vital ways that amendments have changed the federal government, and how rulings by past courts may impact upcoming Supreme Court decisions. We also talk about how the NCC has worked to fulfill its congressional mandate, the exciting resources available through the Center, and the important role that non-partisan resources play in a democracy.

Jeffrey Rosen is also professor at The George Washington Law School, Contributing Editor at The Atlantic, and author of multiple books on US legal and political history including Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty and Law (Henry Holt & Co., 2019) and William Howard Taft (Times Books, 2018). You can follow him on twitter at @RosenJeffrey.

Highlighted Resources from the National Constitution Center
-The Interactive Constitution (also available as an app in the apple and android app stores)
-We The People with Jeffrey Rosen podcast (available anywhere you get The Road to Now)
-Educational Video Series

 

If you're in Philadelphia, you can visit the National Constitution Center, which is located just steps from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Click here to plan your visit!

 

This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm Ben Sawyer.

0:06.5

I'm Bob Crawford.

0:07.8

And this is the road to now.

0:09.5

Yes, it is.

0:10.2

This is the road to now.

0:11.2

And it's been a long road to now.

0:13.6

A road that began with the Declaration of Independence in 1776 led us through our

0:19.2

Rebound Girl, the Articles of Confederation.

0:21.7

And finally, to the one we really love and the one we've been married to for 240 years, guys.

0:28.2

It is the Constitution.

0:31.0

But you know, Ben, that love is a big word.

0:34.5

It's a big word.

0:35.4

And it's not always easy.

0:37.2

It's not always easy because you work.

0:39.0

You work to make it work. And you work hard for the things you love. And you sacrifice for the things

0:44.6

you love. Lovingly. And you have to. And sometimes you get into spats. And sometimes you're furious.

0:51.2

But you know what you tell you get to walk it off and say, are we better together?

0:54.9

That's right, because there are things that, you know, just couples who love each other,

0:59.1

they just, they're never going to agree with everything. That's right. But they got to remember

1:03.1

to love each other first. And guys, that marriage contract between them, the 13 state, well, not quite

1:08.8

at first, Rogue Island, as I referred it to, heard it

1:12.1

recently. You know, they come in later, right? But, you know, this marriage contract that has

...

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