Ep7 The Bill of Rights: Meet Julie Silverbrook, the Chief Content and Learning Officer at the National Constitution Center
December 2026 — This month, David interviews Julie Silverbrook, who designs and hosts the NCC’s rich offering of talks, debates, and panels about the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
David explains: The Constitution, approved by the 1787 Philadelphia Convention, had very scarce protections for individual rights — such as habeas corpus and juries in criminal cases — even though the Declaration had promised “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” It was passed with no Due process, no right to exercise religion, and no speech or expression rights.
David asks Julie:
- Did state constitutions protect those rights before 1787?
- What kinds of rights did state constitutions address?
- Why wasn’t that good enough – why need federal protections?
- Did that question play a role in the elections for the First Congress?
- Did James Madison agree that individual rights needed more protections?
- What are the mechanics of amending the Constitution? (Have they changed since 1787?)
- And more! Don’t miss it.
About this month’s guest: Julie Silverbrook is chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, where she leads the strategy, development, and delivery of the Center’s content, public programs, and educational initiatives, advancing its mission of nonpartisan constitutional education and civil dialogue. She oversees the creation of public-facing constitutional content and works to ensure the Center’s programs, scholarly engagement, and educational resources operate as a coordinated national strategy serving students, educators, families, and lifelong learners across the country.
She is a leading advocate for civic education and constitutional literacy. She regularly writes and lectures on the role of civic learning in sustaining constitutional democracy, and on the Constitution and its history. She regularly moderates podcasts and public programs on behalf of the Center.
Prior to joining the National Constitution Center, Silverbrook served as senior director of partnerships and constitutional scholar-in-residence at iCivics from 2020 to 2024. Before that, she was executive director of the Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) from 2012 to 2020, where she led national efforts to expand access to the documentary history of the Constitution and strengthen constitutional education nationwide.
Silverbrook holds a JD from William & Mary Law School, where she received the National Association of Women Lawyers Award and the Thurgood Marshall Award and served as a senior articles editor of the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal. She graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa from The George Washington University with a BA in political science and received the Columbian College Distinguished Scholar Award. She is a recipient of the Taylor Reveley Citizen Lawyer Alumni Award for her dedication to promoting public understanding of the Constitution.
About the National Constitution Center: The National Constitution Center brings together people of all ages and perspectives, across America and around the world, to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution. A private, nonprofit organization, the Center serves as America’s leading platform for nonpartisan constitutional education and debate.
As the MUSEUM OF WE THE PEOPLE, the Center brings the Constitution to life for visitors of all ages through interactive programs and exhibits. As AMERICA’S TOWN HALL, the Center brings the leading conservative and liberal thought leaders together to debate the Constitution on all media platforms.
As a HEADQUARTERS FOR CIVIC EDUCATION, the Center delivers the best educational programs and online resources that inspire citizens and engage all Americans in learning about the U.S. Constitution. Learn more: constitutioncenter.org
Author and historian David O. Stewart
Meet David O. Stewart: A trial and appellate lawyer for many years, David writes history and historical novels. He has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Washington Independent Review of Books, was a reporter for the Staten Island Advance, and for 10 years wrote the monthly Supreme Court column for the American Bar Association Journal. He has also done on-air commentary for CNN, C-SPAN, Bloomberg News, and MSNBC.
About his newest book, The Democracy We Must Keep:
