Walter Isaacson on the Greatest Sentence Ever Written

Run time: 1 hour, 2 minutes

Best-selling biographer Walter Isaacson joins to discuss his new book, The Greatest Sentence Ever Written with Jeffrey Rosen. Isaacson explores the intellectual inspirations and drafting history of the Declaration’s famous second sentence, which lays the foundation for the American dream and defines the common ground we share as a nation. Listen now on We the People

Cleanliness with John Quincy Adams

Run time: 29 minutes

By the end of his life, John Quincy Adams was an ardent opponent of slavery, earning the nickname “Old Man Eloquent” for his fierce advocacy in the House of Representatives.

In this episode, Jeffrey Rosen, Professor David Waldstreicher and filmmaker Ken Burns unpack how this son of the Revolution became Congress’s primary enemy of slavery. Listen now on Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness

We the People and Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness are available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more

Benjamin Franklin’s Last Great Quote and the Constitution

by NCC Staff | Read time: 2 minutes

“It was on November 13, 1789, that Founding Father Benjamin Franklin wrote what was probably his last great quote, a saying about the Constitution and life that became true about five months later. In his time, Franklin may have been the most-quoted public figure of his generation. A publisher, entrepreneur, and diplomat, Franklin became known for sayings or ‘proverbs’ that appeared in Poor Richard’s Almanack and his newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. ... ” Read more

10 Reasons Why America’s First Constitution Failed

by NCC Staff | Read time: 2 minutes

“It was November 17, 1777, that the Articles of Confederation, the first American constitution, was sent to the 13 states for consideration. It didn’t last a decade, for some obvious reasons.

On this day Congress submitted the Articles to the states for immediate consideration. Two days earlier, the Second Continental Congress approved the document, after a year of debates. ... ” Read more

November 15, 1794: John Witherspoon, Signer of the Declaration, Dies

On November 15, 1794, John Witherspoon, the only active clergyman and college president to sign the Declaration, dies. Explore his story in the new Interactive Declaration of Independence. Read more

Preamble

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

Read interpretations in the Interactive Constitution

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