Description
As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, longstanding questions about the meaning of the American Revolution have taken on renewed urgency. Was the nation founded on timeless ideals of liberty and equality, or were those ideals projected backward onto the Revolution by later generations seeking a usable national past? This lecture examines how Americans in the nineteenth century created a powerful mythic narrative of the founding even while confronting slavery, inequality, and political division. Engaging prominent historical voices, this talk will explore how Americans have struggled to reconcile the nation’s highest principles with its historical failures, and whether those mythic ideals can still provide a meaningful basis for civic hope and democratic renewal today.
Co-sponsored with the History Department.