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History with David Rubenstein
Jeffrey Rosen
Season 6
Episode 7
What did "the pursuit of happiness" mean to our nation’s Founders, and why was it included in the Declaration of Independence? Constitutional expert Jeffrey Rosen joins David Rubenstein to explore its origins, its link to personal self-government, and its conflict with slavery. Guests are selected by the NY Historical Society. David Rubenstein had no involvement in guest selection in any way.
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Prize-winning historian Kai Bird offers a riveting account of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

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Professor Danielle Allen makes the case for civic engagement as the path to justice.

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Robert A. Caro on political power and the legacy of 36th President Lyndon Johnson.

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Award-winning author Stacy Schiff explores the often-overlooked revolutionary Samuel Adams.

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Steve Inskeep of NPR's Morning Edition on Lincoln's skill at crossing political lines.

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Selwyn M. Vickers on the lasting legacy of slavery and Reconstruction.

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Presidential historian Lindsay Chervinsky presents the unique challenges faced by John Adams.

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Author and professor Ned Blackhawk on the essential history of America’s Indigenous peoples.

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Jeffrey Frank is a former senior editor at The New Yorker.

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Fredrik Logevall is the author of JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917–1956.

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Candice Millard offers an extraordinary account of President Garfield’s career.