All this month, we’re partnering with the Charles F. Kettering Foundation for a series called “Democracy Under Construction.” You can find out more about their work at kettering.org and listen to their podcast “The Context” at kettering.org/thecontext

For the thirty-third installment of “50 Weeks That Shaped America” we go to 1789. The founders spent months that summer hammering out a Constitution — and nearly forgot to include freedom. Jody, Niki and Kellie are joined by Dahlia Lithwick of Slate to look at how the Bill of Rights came to exist: the philosophical fight over whether rights even needed to be written down, what ended up in it (and what didn't), and what it tells us about who the founders were actually building this government for.

Be sure to check out Dahlia’s “Amicus” podcast and all her work at Slate.

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Bill Of Rights: We Forgot Freedom w/ Dahliah Lithwick (Part One)

This Day (An America 250 History Show)

Bill Of Rights: We Forgot Freedom w/ Dahliah Lithwick (Part One)