America: A History Podcast
What Was the Constitutional Convention?
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Episode notes
This week, as the 2024 Presidential election draws nearer, the possibility of a second Trump term looms larger, and the very question of what is and isn’t constitutional becomes increasingly divisive, I want to go all the way back to where it all began. So in this episode, I want to know… what was the Constitutional Convention?
Special Guests:
- Emma Long, Associate Professor of American History and Politics and Head of the Department of American Studies at the University of East Anglia
- Frank Cogliano, a Professor of American History at Edinburgh University and author of ‘Revolutionary America, 1763-1815’
Highlights from this episode:
(02:27) What do we mean by the Constitutional Convention?
(05:20) The Articles of Confederation
(14:16) A pretty short time to write an entire Constitution?
(17:36) The Bill of Rights and why they were inevitable
(23:41) Slavery and other Constitutional compromises
(30:37) Present day impact of the 1787 convention with Veep
(36:26) What will it take for another convention to happen?
Additional Resources:
BOOK: Revolutionary America, 1763-1815 by Frank Cogliano
WEBSITE: The Articles of Confederation
WEBSITE: National Constitution Center, Constitution Drafting Project
WEBSITE: National Constitutional Center Town Hall, The Constitutional Convention with David Rubenstein
VIDEO: Veep | Tied Election
And if you like this episode, you’ll also love:
What Was the Constitutional Convention?
Why Does the President Only Serve Two Terms?
Is the President Above the Law?
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