Podcast: A constitutional history of the Democratic Party
Official presidential portrait of Franklin D. Roosevelt (credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Producer’s Note: This episode is the final part of a three-part series on political parties and the Constitution. Listen to Part I and Part II.
Formed out of the ashes of the Democratic-Republican Party in the 1820s and 1830s, Democrats came into their own with the fiery presidency of Andrew Jackson. Since then, the party has been home to many of our most important Presidents—among them Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelt—and has played an important role in shaping our understanding of the Constitution.
Joining We the People to discuss the constitutional history of the Democratic Party are three experts on American history and constitutional law.
Sidney Blumenthal is a political journalist and a former aide to President Bill Clinton. He is also the author, most recently, of A Self-Made Man, which he discussed at the Center in June 2016; you can watch that program on constitutioncenter.org or listen to it on Live at America’s Town Hall.
Sean Wilentz is the George Henry Davis 1886 Professor of American History at Princeton University. He is also the author, most recently, of The Politicians and the Egalitarians, which he discussed at the Center in June 2016 alongside Blumenthal.
William Forbath is Associate Dean for Research and the Lloyd M. Bentsen Chair in Law at the University of Texas. He is also the author, with Joey Fishkin, of the forthcoming The Constitution of Opportunity.
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This show was engineered by Jason Gregory and produced by Nicandro Iannacci. Research was provided by Josh Waimberg and Tom Donnelly. The host of We the People is Jeffrey Rosen.
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