About this episode

This episode features a discussion on James Madison's vision for the Constitution with notable scholars.

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…

People in this episode

Host: Julie Silverbrook

Guests: Mary Sarah Bilder, Robert P. George, Jonathan Rauch

Topics covered

• James Madison
• U.S. Constitution
• constitutional history
• legal scholarship
• political philosophy

Keywords

• James Madison
• Constitution
• constitutional convention
• political thought
• legal history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Boston College Law School, Princeton University, The Brookings Institution, National Constitution Center

Books & works: Madison's Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention, Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution, Making Men Moral: Civil Liberties and Public Morality, Natural Rights, the Common Good, and the American Revolution (America at 250), Cross Purposes: Christianity's broken bargain with democracy, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth, We the Fallen People: The Founders and the Future of American Democracy, What the Founders Meant by Happiness: A Journey Through Virtue and Character

Places: Miami, FL

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