About the Guest
Jill Lepore is the David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History at Harvard University and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. She is also a staff writer at The New Yorker. A prize-winning professor, she teaches classes in evidence, historical methods, humanistic inquiry, and American history. Her latest book, We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize in History.
She was elected to the Academy in 2014.
A more extensive biography of Professor Lepore is here in the Academy's member directory.
Episode Summary
Professor Jill Lepore speaks with Academy President Laurie Patton about the history of Constitutional amendment and the barriers—both intentional and unintentional—that have emerged to curtail the spirit of experimentation and revision inherent in our foremost founding document.
Additional Notes
Gino Beniamino produces Amacad.
“Love Endures,” from the jazz quartet 4-Sight featuring Rodney Whitaker, is the Amacad theme music.