. >>> kermit roosevelt, a constitutional law professor and the great-great grandson of theodore roosevelt, presents a talk titled the constitution and declaration of independence: a contrary view. he argues through fail ours and reinventions we've used the cobs to us as a tool to create our modern core values. the smithsonian associates hosted the event. >> good evening, everyone. can you all hear me in the back? great. my name is ruth robbins and it's a pleasure to welcome you all here tonight for our program. before we get started, just a couple quick things. if you have electronic devices, now's a good time to turn them off. as usual in our programs, there's no ph

tonight, our guest speaker, kermit roosevelt, explores these documents and shares his interpretation of their meaning and relevance. professor roosevelt teaches constitutional law at the university of pennsylvania law school. he was born and raised in d.c. and attended harvard university and yale law. before joining the penn faculty, he served as a law clerk to supreme court justice david souter. his book, "the myth of judicial activism, making sense of supreme court decisions," sets out standards by which citizens can determine whether the supreme court is abusing its authority to interpret the constitution. he also teaches creative writing and is the author of two novels. "in the shadow of the law" and "allegiance," so please join me in a warm welcome for professor roosevelt and enjoy the program. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you all for coming. and happy super tuesday. so, as you know, of course, it's super tuesday. the democrats are in the process of choosing their nominee. later on, we'll have the general election, and we will choose our president, and that choice will reflec

. >> >> kermit roosevelt, a law professor and the great-great-grandson of theodore roosevelt, presented a talk. professor roosevelt argues the america of today did not emerge from the revolution and that we should not trace values back to the founders. instead he argues that through failures and reinvention's we've use the constitution to create modern core values. the smithsonian associates hosted the event. >> good evening, can you hear me? great. my name is ruth robbins and it is a pleasure to welcome you here tonight for our program. before we get started just a couple of quick things. if you have electronic devices, now is a good time to turn them off. as usual, there is no photography and no filming. also, if you are wondering what the equipment is in the back of the room, it is c-span so show your nicest smile, brush her hair,

kermit rose relosevelt, a constitutional law professor and great-great grandson of theeder roosevelt talks the declaration of