State of Belief
America’s Founding Principles and the Future of Democracy with Constitutional Scholar Jeffrey Rosen
On this 250th Independence Day, how much do our founding documents still matter to Americans? It turns out a lot, according to guest Prof. Jeffrey Rosen. CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, he’s a law professor at George Washington University and has traveled the country speaking to diverse audiences that share a deep commitment to our nation’s founding principles.
Jeff quotes from memory host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush's great-grandfather Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis on free speech, and explains the thinking that the various founders brought to this experiment in democracy. Another highlight of the conversation: Enlightenment rational values were the driving force behind the Constitution’s emphasis on religious freedom for all. He doesn’t hesitate to point to where the founders fell far short of their ideals, but that fact ultimately offers hope for our time: we’ve come this far despite setbacks and mistakes – and so the conflicts and division of today don’t automatically guarantee failure in the years ahead.
More about Jeffrey Rosen:
Jeffrey Rosen is CEO Emeritus of the National Constitution Center. He is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He was previously the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for The New Yorker. Jeffrey Rosen's new book, Pursuit Of Liberty: How Hamilton Versus Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle Over Power in America was published in October of 2025. His other books include New York Times bestseller The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America, and Conversations With RBG: Justice RuthBader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law, as well as biographies of Louis Brandeis and William Howard Taft.
The State of Belief host Rev. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush is President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance.
Transcript
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