Episode Details
Back to EpisodesThe Constitution: The Blueprint That Built America (Part Two)
Description
The Declaration of Independence gave America its ideals. The Constitution gave it something just as important: a way to survive.
In Part Two of this special series, Keith explores the remarkable story behind the world's oldest written national constitution still in force. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail? How did fifty-five delegates in a sweltering Philadelphia summer create a system of government that has endured for nearly 240 years? And did the Founding Fathers ever expect it to last this long?
From the opening words, "We the People," to the separation of powers, the Bill of Rights, the slavery compromises, the Supreme Court, and the extraordinary debate between Thomas Jefferson and James Madison over whether a constitution should expire every generation, this episode uncovers not only how America was governed, but why its Constitution remains one of the most influential, and controversial, documents ever written.
More than two centuries later, it continues to shape not just the United States, but the future of democracy itself.
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