BFW Revisited: Women & the Constitutional Moment of 1787

Ben Franklin's World

Liz Covart

Earlyrepublic, History, Benfranklin, Society & Culture, Warforindependence, Earlyamericanrepublic, Earlyamericanhistory, Education, Colonialamerica, Americanrevolution, Ushistory, Benjaminfranklin

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 September 2025

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Each September, Constitution Day marks the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. But beyond celebration, this commemoration invites deeper reflection: Whose voices helped shape this foundational document? And who was imagined as part of the political community it created? In honor of Constitution Day and Constitution Month, we’re revisiting a pivotal conversation from Episode 339 with constitutional historian Mary Sarah Bilder. Drawing from her book, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution, Mary challenges us to reconsider who influenced the Constitution and how women publicly engaged with its political possibilities. Join us as we explore: Eliza Harriot’s advocacy for “female genius” and intellectual equality. Why the Constitution’s gender-neutral language mattered. And, the debates over representation, education, and citizenship in 1787Mary’s Website | Book |Show Notes: https://www.benfranklinsworld.com/339 RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODES🎧 Episode 107: Madison's Hand🎧 Episode 137: The Washingtons' Runaway Slave, Ona Judge🎧 Episode 255: Birthright Citizens🎧 Episode 259: American Legal History & the Bill of Rights🎧 Episode 285: Elections & Voting in Early AmericaSUPPORT OUR WORK🎁 Make a Donation to Ben Franklin’s WorldREQUEST A TOPIC📨 Topic Request Form📫 [email protected] YOU'RE READY🗞️ BFW Gazette Newsletter 👩‍💻 Join the BFW Listener CommunityLISTEN 🎧🍎 Apple Podcasts 💚 Spotify 🎶 Amazon Music🛜 PandoraCONNECT🦋 Liz on Bluesky👩‍💻 Liz on LinkedIn🛜 Liz’s WebsiteSAY THANKS💜 Leave a review on Apple Podcasts💚 Leave a rating on Spotify*Book links are affiliate links. Every purchase supports the podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	I'm Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center.
0:04.8	A few years ago, learning about the forgotten meaning of the pursuit of happiness changed my life.
0:11.0	When the founders wrote that famous phrase in the Declaration of Independence,
0:14.5	they meant an ongoing commitment to self-improvement and lifelong learning.
0:19.4	This discovery inspired me to write a book, and in my
0:22.1	new podcast, I explore the founder's lives with the historians who know them best. Plus, filmmaker
0:27.9	Ken Byrne shares his daily practice of self-reflection. Join me for Pursuit, the Founders' Guide
0:34.2	to Happiness. Hello, this is Matt from the Explorers podcast.
0:43.7	I want to invite you to join me on the voyages and journeys of the most famous explorers
0:47.6	in the history of the world.
0:49.4	These are the thrilling and captivating stories of Vigelin, Shackleton, Lewis, and Clark,
0:54.1	and so many other
0:55.0	famous and not-so-famous adventures from throughout history. Go to Exploryspodcast.com or just look us up on
1:01.4	your podcast app. That's the Explorers Podcast. You're listening to an Airwave Media podcast.
1:17.4	Music listening to an Airwave Media podcast. Hello, and welcome to Ben Franklin's World Revisited, a series of classic episodes
1:22.5	to bring fresh perspective to our latest episodes and add deeper connections to our
1:26.6	understanding of early American
1:28.1	history. And I'm your host, Liz Covart. Each September, Americans mark Constitution Day to commemorate
1:35.1	the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. But Constitution Day offers us more
1:42.3	than just a chance to celebrate the Constitution.
1:44.9	It invites us to ask deeper questions about the Constitution.
1:49.1	Questions like whose ideas help shape the Constitution.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Liz Covart, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Liz Covart and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.