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We the People

We the People

By: National Constitution Center
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A weekly show from the National Constitution Center hosted by Julie Silverbrook and Tom Donnelly where listeners can hear the best arguments on all sides of the constitutional issues at the center of American life.© 2026 National Constitution Center. All Rights Reserved. Politics & Government World
Episodes
  • The Supreme Court Strikes Down President Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship

    The Supreme Court Strikes Down President Trump’s Executive Order on Birthright Citizenship
    Jul 2 2026
    In this episode, Richard Epstein and Martha Jones discuss the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Trump v. Barbara, which struck down President Trump’s Executive Order on birthright citizenship. At issue in the case was whether the Constitution guarantees citizenship to children born to parents unlawfully or temporarily present in the United States. The Court concluded that it did. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources Trump v. Barbara (2026) Brief of Amicus Curiae Professor Richard A. Epstein Brief of Historians Martha S. Jones and Kate Masur as Amici Curiae “Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s birthright citizenship executive order in landmark decision,” Scott Bomboy for the National Constitution Center’s Constitution Daily Blog “In birthright citizenship opinions, a major constitutional disagreement,” Marcia Coyle for the National Constitution Center’s Constitution Daily Blog United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), National Constitution Center The Citizenship Clause, National Constitution Center Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate
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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • The Ideas at the Heart of the Declaration and the Constitution

    The Ideas at the Heart of the Declaration and the Constitution
    Jun 25 2026
    In this episode, David Blight, Robert P. George, and Annette Gordon-Reed explore the enduring ideas at the core of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution—including equality, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and government by consent—and examine how those principles have been debated, interpreted, and contested over time. Moderated by Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, the conversation invites audiences to engage deeply with the ideas that launched a nation and to consider how our shared constitutional story continues to unfold. This conversation was recorded live in Philadelphia on June 8, 2026, as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall series. It is presented in partnership with the Organization of American Historians and the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute. Resources Annotated Declaration of Independence, National Constitution Center Interactive Constitution, National Constitution Center The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments about the show? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. Donate
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Eric Slauter on The Declaration’s Promises

    Eric Slauter on The Declaration’s Promises
    Jun 18 2026
    The National Constitution Center recently published The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals (Simon & Schuster), a keepsake collection of essays bringing together leading thinkers from across perspectives to reflect on the ideals at the heart of the American experiment and what those principles have meant across generations of American life. In this episode, Professor Eric Slauter discusses his essay, “The Declaration’s Promises,” which explores how the Declaration of Independence evolved from a justification of America’s separation from the British Empire into a global charter of liberty. As Slauter writes, in 1776, “very few in the newly United States besides a small contingent of Black and white antislavery activists would have seen the Declaration as a document of radical egalitarianism or even as a founding document.” However, over time, figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, and Martin Luther King Jr. transformed the phrase “all men are created equal” into a foundational national promise and a powerful tool for social change. As Slauter notes, “it is largely their Declaration, as much as Jefferson’s or Congress’s, that we continue to celebrate today.” Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. Resources Eric Slauter, “The Declaration’s Promises” National Constitution Center, The Declaration of Independence Stay Connected and Learn More Stay connected with We the People—follow, rate, and review the show wherever you listen. Questions or comments? Email podcast@constitutioncenter.org. Follow @ConstitutionCtr on social media and sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Support our important work by making a donation today. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Donate
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    49 mins
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