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
- 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