Past lectures

Heather Cox Richardson

Speaker
Heather Cox Richardson
Lecture date
Originally aired: September 17th, 2024
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America

Heather Cox Richardson is a professor of history at Boston College who writes widely about Reconstruction, the Civil War, and the history of the Republican Party. She is the author of seven books including, most recently, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, as well as the award-winning How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy, and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America. She also writes the popular newsletter, Letters from an American, a daily chronicle of American politics read by 1.4 million subscribers.

At a time when the very foundations of democracy seem under threat, the lessons of the past offer a roadmap for navigating a moment of political crisis in the United States. In Democracy Awakening, Richardson delves into the tumultuous journey of American democracy, revealing how the roots of authoritarianism can be traced back through the earliest days of the republic. With remarkable clarity and the same accessible voice that brings millions of readers to her daily newsletter, Richardson wrangles a chaotic news feed into a coherent story that singles out what we should pay attention to and what possible paths lie ahead.

An essential read for anyone concerned about the state of America, Democracy Awakening is more than a history book. Richardson reminds us that democracy is not a static institution but a living, evolving process that requires constant vigilance and participation from all of us. This powerful testament to the resilience of democratic ideals shows how we, as a nation, can take the lessons of the past to address today’s challenges and secure a more just and equitable future.

Past lecture series

Fall 2023 - Spring 2024

H.W. Brands

Speaker
H.W. Brands
Date
May 7th, 2024
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
Founding Partisans: Hamilton, Madison, Jefferson, Adams and the Brawling Birth of American Politics

Ned Blackhawk

Speaker
Ned Blackhawk
Date
April 2nd, 2024
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History

Liz Cheney

Speaker
Liz Cheney
Date
March 5th, 2024
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning

Kelly Lytle Hernández

Speaker
Kelly Lytle Hernández
Date
February 6th, 2024
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands

Jonathan Eig

Speaker
Jonathan Eig
Date
October 17th, 2023
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title

Fall 2022 - Spring 2023

Peniel E. Joseph

Speaker
Peniel E. Joseph
Date
May 23rd, 2023
Time
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Title
The Third Reconstruction: America’s Struggle for Racial Justice in the Twenty-First Century

Douglas Brinkley

Speaker
Douglas Brinkley
Date
April 18th, 2023
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening

Mae Ngai

Speaker
Mae Ngai
Date
March 28th, 2023
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
The Chinese Question: The Gold Rushes and Global Politics

Nina Totenberg

Speaker
Nina Totenberg
Date
February 2nd, 2023
Time
7:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
Dinners with Ruth: A Memoir on the Power of Friendships

Doris Kearns Goodwin

A headshot of the speaker, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Speaker
Doris Kearns Goodwin
Date
October 18th, 2022
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 and President Lyndon B. Johnson

Fall 2021 - Spring 2022

Annette Gordon-Reed

Speaker
Annette Gordon-Reed
Date
May 10th, 2022
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
On Juneteenth

Heather Cox Richardson

Speaker
Heather Cox Richardson
Date
April 12th, 2022
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
How the South Won the Civil War: Oligarchy, Democracy and the Continuing Fight for the Soul of America

Erik Larson

Speaker
Erik Larson
Date
March 1st, 2022
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During The Blitz

Fredrik Logevall

Speaker
Fredrik Logevall
Date
February 1st, 2022
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917–1956

Yamiche Alcindor

Speaker
Yamiche Alcindor
Date
October 25th, 2021
Time
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Title
Truth in Journalism: Reporting on Politics and Identity in America