Should we care what the founders would say about modern-day America? Richard Brookhiser says yes. If so, how should we consider some of our thornier contemporary issues in light of what the founders thought, such as “originalism” in constitutional matters, America as a “religious” nation if not a Christian nation, or even the fundamental principles of U.S. foreign policy? Even the bruising political battles currently being waged in Washington may be better understood in the context of the political wars our founders fought when the Republic was born. (32:55) Video transcript

Richard Brookhiser is the author of more than a dozen books, including What Would the Founders Do? and, most recently, George Washington on Leadership. Brookhiser is a senior editor of National Review and a columnist for the New York Observer.