The 14th Amendment and the History of Reconstruction

We the People

National Constitution Center

History, News Commentary, News

4.6 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 February 2025

⏱️ 63 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jeffrey Rosen discusses the 14th Amendment with Sherrilyn Ifill, the head of the 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy at Howard Law School and the former president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, Pamela Brandwein, author of Rethinking the Judicial Settlement of Reconstruction, and Ilan Wurman, author of The Second Founding: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Amendment. They discuss the historical events that gave rise to the 14th Amendment and debate its original meaning. This conversation was originally streamed live as part of the NCC’s America’s Town Hall program series on February 10, 2025, in partnership with the Federal Judicial Center. Resources Ilan Wurman, The Second Founding: An Introduction to the Fourteenth Amendment (2020) Pamela Brandwein, Rethinking the Judicial Settlement of Reconstruction (2011) Sherrilyn Ifill, “Why are U.S. courts afraid of the 14th Amendment? Because it’s radical,” The Washington Post (Nov. 23, 2023) Sherrilyn Ifill, “Yes, this is America: Why I’m Creating the 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy,” Substack (July 7, 2023) 14th Amendment Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1866 The Reconstruction Amendments Brown v. Board of Education Stay Connected and Learn More Questions or comments about the show? Email us at [email protected] Continue the conversation by following us on social media @ConstitutionCtr. Sign up to receive Constitution Weekly, our email roundup of constitutional news and debate. Subscribe, rate, and review wherever you listen. Join us for an upcoming live program or watch recordings on YouTube. Support our important work. Donate

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello friends, I'm Jeffrey Rosen, President, CEO of the National Constitution Center,
0:07.8	and welcome to We the People, a weekly show of constitutional debate.
0:12.0	The National Constitution Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit, chartered by Congress,
0:16.6	to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.
0:26.9	On February 10th, the NCC and the Federal Judicial Center convened three of America's leading scholars of Reconstruction to discuss the history and meaning of the 14th Amendment.
0:32.9	Sherilyn Eiffel is the Vernon E. Jordan Esquire, endowed chair in civil rights law at Howard Law School,
0:39.5	where she's launching the 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy. She's also the former
0:43.9	president of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Pamela Branwin is a professor at the University
0:49.6	of Michigan, and author of Rethinking the Judicial Settlement of Reconstruction.
0:54.6	Elon Worman is the Julius E. Davis Professor of Law
0:57.4	at the University of Minnesota,
0:59.1	and author of the second founding and introduction to the 14th Amendment.
1:03.1	Enjoy this show.
1:07.7	Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the National Constitution Center.
1:15.6	It is such an honor for the National Constitution Center and the Federal Judicial Center
1:19.6	to convene judges from across America to come to Philly to celebrate the Super Bowl win.
1:25.6	I think I saw a slight dissatisfaction. to come to Philly to celebrate the Super Bowl win.
1:32.8	I think I saw a slight dissent there from the Eighth Circuit,
1:39.6	but it's very meaningful to reconvene this great collaboration between the NCC and the FJC.
1:41.7	We had to take a pause because of COVID.
1:44.0	We're now back in business,
1:45.2	and this is one of the most illuminating continuing judicial education programs in the country.
	...

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