History Events in Menlo Park

Jesse Wegman tells the story of James Wilson, a Founding Father whose vision shaped US democracy but was later overshadowed by scandal. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, New York Times journalist Jesse Wegman joins us to tell the story of James Wilson, a Founding Father whose bold vision shaped American democracy but whose legacy was lost to scandal. As a young lawyer, James Wilson made a celebrated case for American independence in an essay that inspired the famous words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” He wrote the first draft of the Constitution and, along with James Madison, played perhaps the essential role in its ultimate creation. Wilson believed that the people are the ultimate source of all power. He argued successfully for a strong central government and a powerful presidency, and fought unsuccessfully for a direct vote for the president and the Senate. Appointed as a justice to the first Supreme Court, he was later brought down by reckless land speculation and died of malaria in the back room of a North Carolina tavern while hiding from his creditors.