We the People

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 

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If you ask Americans to name the signers of the Declaration of Independence, they will probably mention John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams. But what about the other 52 delegates from the 13 colonies who signed the document?  Men like Thomas McKean, Lyman Hall, George Walton, Francis Lewis, Benjamin Rush, and Roger Sherman? Historian Carol Berkin, one of the nation's leading scholars of the founding era and the author of the National Constitution Center's definitive short biographies of all 56 signers, joins the Center to explore the stories of these lesser-known signers. Berkin reveals these figures not as distant icons, but as real people whose lives were marked by ambition, sacrifice, hardship, resilience, and public service. As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Berkin explains why understanding the full cast of characters behind American independence can deepen our appreciation of the nation’s founding and the ongoing work of constitutional self-government. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

 

Resources 


Josiah Bartlett (New Hampshire), National Constitution Center 


Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts), National Constitution Center 


Button Gwinnett (Georgia), National Constitution Center 


Lyman Hall (Georgia), National Constitution Center 


Francis Lewis (New York), National Constitution Center 


Thomas McKean (Delaware), National Constitution Center 


Robert Morris, Jr. (Pennsylvania), National Constitution Center 


Benjamin Rush (Pennsylvania), National Constitution Center 


Roger Sherman (Connecticut), National Constitution Center 


Richard Stockton (New Jersey), National Constitution Center 


George Walton (Georgia), National Constitution Center 


Biographies of all the Declaration’s Signers, National Constitution Center

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In this episode, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, retired, honorary co-chair of the National Constitution Center, joins to discuss The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals, a new keepsake volume from the National Constitution Center. Justice Breyer, who wrote the book’s foreword, reflects on the enduring constitutional ideals explored in the volume and their continued relevance today. He is joined by the Honorable Cheryl Ann Krause, judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and member of the National Constitution Center Board of Trustees. 

This conversation was streamed live from Philadelphia as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall series on May 16, 2026. 

Resources  


The Promise of America: Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals 

Justice Stephen G. Breyer, “It's up to us whether the American experiment succeeds,” (USA Today, May 11, 2026) 

Justice Neil Gorsuch, “How Imperfect People Form a More Perfect Union,” (Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2026) 


Reflections on Our Enduring Ideals: A Conversation with Justice Stephen Breyer , National Constitution Center, America’s Town Hall 

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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 David Armitage discusses his essay, “The Declaration’s Influence Around the World,” which explores the document’s international legacy as a powerful blueprint for collective rights and national self-determination, and its ever-evolving domestic legacy as a touchstone for individual rights and human equality. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

 

Resources 

David Armitage, “The Declaration’s Influence Around the World” 

National Constitution Center, The Declaration of Independence 

Lemuel Haynes, “Liberty Further Extended” (1776) 


Vermont Declaration of Independence (1777) 


French Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789) 


Haitian Declaration of Independence (1804) 


Venezuelan Declaration of Independence (1811) 


Greek Declaration of Independence (1822) 


Belgian Declaration of Independence (1830) 


New Zealand Declaration of Independence (1835) 


Texas Declaration of Independence (1836) 


Liberia Declaration of Independence (1847) 


Declaration of Sentiments (1848) 


Hungary Declaration of Independence (1849) 


Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945) 


Israel Declaration of Independence (1948) 


Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) 


Unilateral Declaration of Independence of Southern Rhodesia (1965) 


The Black Declaration of Independence (1970) 


Kosovo Declaration of Independence (2008) 

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Questions or comments about the show? Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast@constitutioncenter.org⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Explore the ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠America at 250 Civic Toolkit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠


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In this episode, Michael Auslin joins to discuss his new book, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America, a sweeping and vivid history of the Declaration of Independence from its drafting to its enduring role in American life today. Tracing the remarkable journey of this iconic document—from a Philadelphia boarding house to wartime hiding places and its place as a national symbol—Auslin explores how its ideals of liberty and equality have inspired generations and continue to shape the American experiment. Thomas Donnelly, lead scholar at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

This program was streamed live on May 6, 2026, as part of the NCC's Book Club Series. 

Resources 

Michael Auslin, National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America (2026)

National Constitution Center, Interactive Declaration of Independence

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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

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