Scott Greenberger on The Forsaken Founder: Gouverneur Morris

In this episode, author Scott S. Greenberger discusses his new book, The Forsaken Founder, which explores the colorful life and consequential legacy of Gouverneur Morris, the “Penman of the Constitution,” an often overlooked and forgotten figure of the American founding. Greenberger highlights Morris’s indispensable contributions to the American Revolution, his central role in shaping the language and structure of the Constitution, and how he helped to guide the early republic in its fragile first years. Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, moderates. 

Resources 

Scott S. Greenberger, The Forsaken Founder: Gouverneur Morris, the Unsung Patriot Who Wrote the Constitution, Stood Up to Slavery, and Survived the Reign of Terror (2026) 

Gouverneur Morris, Constitutional Convention Speeches (1787), National Constitution Center 

Gouverneur Morris (1752-1816), National Constitution Center 

 

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