Revolutionary State Constitutions

We the People

National Constitution Center

News Commentary, News, History

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 April 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

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Summary

In this episode, scholars Nicholas Cole and Robert Williams examine how American constitutional democracy is rooted in the crafting of Revolutionary-era state constitutions. Beginning in May 1776, Americans gave independence meaning by writing state constitutions, experimenting with self-government, and rooting political authority in the people. Cole and Williams explore this critical and often overlooked chapter of the founding era and how these early state constitutions shaped ideas about rights, government, and limits on power, helping to define the nation’s constitutional tradition and set its trajectory for generations to come. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources Nicholas Cole, Quill Project Robert Williams, The Law of American State Constitutions (2023) Constitution of New Hampshire (January 5, 1776) Constitution of South Carolina (March 26, 1776) Constitution of Virginia (June 29, 1776) Constitution of New Jersey (July 2, 1776) Constitution of Delaware (September 10, 1776) Constitution of Pennsylvania (September 28, 1776) Constitution of Maryland (November 11, 1776) Constitution of North Carolina (December 18, 1776) Constitution of Georgia (February 5, 1777) Constitution of New York (April 20, 1777) Constitution of Vermont (July 8, 1777) Constitution of South Carolina (March 19, 1778) Constitution of Massachusetts (June 15, 1780) Constitution of Vermont (July 4, 1786) Marbury v. Madison (1803) Alison L. LaCroix, The Interbellum Constitution: Union, Commerce, and Slavery in the Age of Federalisms (2024) Gordon S. Wood, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 (1998) 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 ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠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 Support our important work ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate

Transcript

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0:00.0	From the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, this is We the People.
0:07.4	I'm Julie Silverbrook, Chief Content and Learning Officer.
0:10.9	The National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit chartered by Congress
0:15.0	to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.
0:19.9	As the nation marks its 250th anniversary,
0:22.8	we're taking a close look at key events in the decades around 1776. From the drafting of the
0:28.7	Declaration of Independence to the ratification of the Constitution in 1788. To understand how
0:34.1	America's constitutional democracy took shape in this period, we're looking
0:37.8	closer to the ground in the states.
0:40.4	In this period, Americans were not only declaring independence, they were giving it meaning.
0:45.2	By writing state constitutions, by experimenting with new forms of self-government, and by grounding
0:50.3	political authority in the people.
0:52.6	These early state constitutions were the first to define
0:55.3	the American constitutional tradition. To explore this critical and often overlooked chapter of the
1:01.1	founding era, we're joined today by Robert Williams and Nicholas Cole. Robert Williams is a distinguished
1:07.0	professor of law emeritus at Rutgers University School of Law.
1:15.2	He is a leading expert in state constitutional law and directed the Center for State Constitutional Studies at Rutgers.
1:17.3	Professor Williams has authored extensive legal scholarship on state constitutional law,
1:22.0	including the law of American state constitutions and state constitutional law,
1:26.4	cases, and materials. Robert, welcome to
1:28.7	We the People. Thanks very much, Julie. It's great to be here. And Nicholas Cole is a senior research
1:35.1	fellow of Pembroke College at the University of Oxford in the UK and director of the Quill Project,
	...

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