Constitutional Meaning in the Shadow of the Articles of Confederation

The Brennan Center for Justice and the National Constitution Center present a symposium exploring how the Articles of Confederation shaped the U.S. Constitution. Historians, legal scholars, and journalists—including Aditya Bamzai, Jay Cost, Jonathan Gienapp, Johann Neem, Farah Peterson, Jack Rakove, Kermit Roosevelt, Amanda Shanor, Ilya Somin, and Alan Trammell—will examine the legacy of the Articles of Confederation, the founding debates over federal power, and the lasting influence of these debates on constitutional interpretation today.

Moderators and special guest speakers include NCC President and CEO Jeffrey Rosen, Brennan Center Vice President of Program Initiatives John Kowal, Brennan Center Judiciary Program Director Alicia Bannon, Brennan Center Fellow Wilfred Codrington III, Brennan Center Steven M. Polan Fellow in Constitutional Law and History Maureen Edobar, and Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland.

This program was presented by the National Constitution Center and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law.