We the People

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) 

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Acclaimed historians Mary Beth Norton, the Mary Donlon Alger Professor Emerita of American History at Cornell University, and Rosemarie Zagarri, distinguished university professor of history at George Mason University, examine how women influenced the political, social, and intellectual currents of the American Revolution. The conversation explores how women’s experiences and contributions deepen and expand our understanding of America’s founding. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

 

This program was streamed live from Philadelphia on March 23, 2026, as a part of the NCC's America's Town Hall Series. 

Resources 

Mary Beth Norton, Founding Mothers & Fathers: Gendered Power and the Forming of American Society 

Mary Beth Norton, 1774: The Long Year of Revolution 

Rosemarie Zagarri, Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic 

Rosemarie Zagarri, “The Declaration’s Grievances Against the King” 

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode, historian Emily Sneff discusses her new book, When the Declaration of Independence Was News, which focuses on the nation’s founding document at the moment of its creation in 1776, before anyone knew what the legacy of the Declaration would be or if the United States would win the war against Great Britain. The book explores how the Declaration was communicated to people in the new nation and across the Atlantic world and reveals the stories of the many people involved in declaring independence, from printers to soldiers to diplomats to translators. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates.

Resources 

Emily Sneff, When the Declaration of Independence Was News (2026) 

“‘When the Declaration of Independence Was News’ Review: Breaking Story,” Wall Street Journal (April 3, 2026) 


Dunlap Broadside (First printing of the Declaration of Independence) 


Goddard Broadside (First printing of the Declaration of Independence with signers’ names) 

National Constitution Center, Annotated Declaration of Independence

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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In this episode we’re sharing a live conversation that explores James Madison’s vision for the constitution with Mary Sarah Bilder of Boston College Law School, Robert P. George, of Princeton University, and Jonathan Rauch of The Brookings Institution. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

This conversation was recorded on February 20, 2026, as part of the NCC’s President’s Council Retreat in Miami, FL. 

 

Resources 

Mary Sarah Bilder, Madison's Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention (2017)  

Mary Sarah Bilder, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution (2022) 

Robert P. George, Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality (1995) 

Robert P. George, Natural Rights, the Common Good, and the American Revolution (America at 250) (2026) 

Jonathan Rauch, Cross Purposes: Christianity's broken bargain with democracy (2025) 

Jonathan Rauch, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth (2021) 


Federalist 10 (1787) 

Robert Tracy McKenzie, We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of American Democracy (2021) 

National Constitution Center, What the Founders Meant by Happiness: A Journey Through Virtue and Character 

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In celebration of Women’s History Month, award-winning historian Ellen DuBois, author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life, joins to discuss the life, ideas, and legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the decades-long struggle for women’s suffrage. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar of the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall series on March 23, 2026. 

Resources 

Ellen Carol DuBois, Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life (2026)

Ellen Carol DuBois, Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote (2020) 

Ellen Carol DuBois, Eighty Years and More: Reminiscences 1815-1897 (2020) 


Minor v. Happersett (1875) 

National Constitution Center, The 19th Amendment

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


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