James Madison Program

What are Americans like in John Ford's western films? On Madison's Notes, guest @MatthewJFranck explains to host @RyanShinkel: they're brash, rough, but dogged, loyal, honorable, and so much more. For the rest of the interview, see here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e…

In The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), a character tells Jimmy Stewart: "This is the west. When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." On Madison's Notes, host @RyanShinkel asked guest @MatthewJFranck whether as a philosopher, he would print the legend, be it in Liberty Valance or another one of John Ford's movies like Fort Apache (1948). For his answer, and the rest of the interview, see here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e…

NEXT WEEK: Join us for a discussion between Walter Russell Mead (@wrmead), scholar at the @HudsonInstitute, and Professor Robert P. George (@McCormickProf), the James Madison Program Director, on "The Declaration of Independence and the Future of American Democracy." As a JMP Princeton University Reunions Event, the talk will be held on Friday May 22, 2026 at 11:00 am – 12:30 pm in McDonnell Hall A02. For more details, see here: jmp.princeton.edu/events/2026/de…

What sort of character did John Wayne play? Why is he always a man out of place in his movies? On Madison's Notes, guest @MatthewJFranck shows why to host @RyanShinkel, especially with the classic, The Searchers (1956). For the rest of the episode, see here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e…

We're proud to announce that three JMP Undergraduate Fellows are among the eight Princeton students to win the Spirit of Princeton award for service and contributions to campus life: Luke Miller, Jaisnav Rajesh, and Jaden Stewart. A senior from Texas who is majoring in the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Luke Miller is the head writer of the All-Nighter Late Night Talk Show and a Class Day co-chair for the Class of 2026. A senior from Plainfield, Illinois, who is majoring in computer science, Jaisnav Rajesh is a residential college adviser in New College West, and he serves on the residential college leadership team. A senior from Los Angeles who is majoring in politics, Jaden Stewart is a U-Councilor with the Undergraduate Student Government and also a Class Day co-chair for the Class of 2026. For more details, see here: princeton.edu/news/2026/05/1…

In Chicago 1893 at the World's Fair, Frederick Jackson Turner declared the western frontier closed while examining its deep impact on American political life. But the frontier persisted in the nation's stories, especially the western. How did John Wayne and John Ford shape the American mythos? Guest @MatthewJFranck spoke with host @RyanShinkel about just this question. For the full interview, see here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e…

Can bad books be turned into good movies? On the latest episode of Madison's Notes, @MatthewJFranck explains how David Lean's film, Bridge on the River Kwai (1956), actually improved upon Pierre Boulle's original novel. For the rest of the interview, see here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e…

🥳🎉 Unironically thrilled to announce 🎉🥳 This means journals can't reject it now…right?

Madison's Notes is out with a new episode: "Frontier Films for America250." Host Ryan Shinkel (@RyanShinkel) interviewed Matthew J. Franck (@MatthewJFranck), a @WitherspoonInst Senior Fellow. They talked about Frederick Jackson Turner’s “Significance of the Frontier in American History," novels by James Fenimore Cooper and Mark Twain, the westerns of John Ford, and frontier movies in outer space, science, and technology. Please enjoy: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s5e…

@MadisonProgram @RyanShinkel @WitherspoonInst This conversation carried over into my most recent Bookshelf column @PublicDiscourse: thepublicdiscourse.com/2026/04/100813/

TODAY & TOMORROW: Join us for two lectures by Carter Snead (@cartersnead), the Charles E. Rice Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, on "Ethics at the Edges of Humanity." The events will be held today on Wednesday May 6th and tomorrow on Thursday May 7th at 5-6:30 pm in 120 Lewis Library. For details, see here: jmp.princeton.edu/events/2026/le…

And also available on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=Ad2sSc…

The interview's is also available on "Madison's Footnotes": madisonsfootnotes.substack.com/p/frontier-fil…

THIS WEEK: Join us for two lectures by Carter Snead (@cartersnead), the Charles E. Rice Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame Law School, on "Ethics at the Edges of Humanity." The events will be held on Wednesday May 6th and Thursday May 7th at 5-6:30 pm in 120 Lewis Library. For details, see here: jmp.princeton.edu/events/2026/le…