Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: Revolution, the Constitution, and the founders June 22, 2026 This reading list revisits the Revolution, the Constitution, and the Founders to examine how their ideas were forged, contested, and continue to shape the American experiment. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: Amendments XIII, XV, and XIX June 22, 2026 The 13th, 15th, and 19th Amendments marked sweeping efforts to redefine freedom and political participation in the wake of slavery. This reading list explores those constitutional transformations alongside the moral and social struggles that complicated the pursuit of equality in American democracy. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: Land and empire June 22, 2026 Land has played a central role to the making of the United States; especially its economic and political power. This reading list explores relationships to land and wilderness, while offering necessary critique of an empire built through territorial expansion. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: Rupture and reconstruction June 22, 2026 Moments of rupture have repeatedly forced Americans to rethink the nation鈥檚 political, social, and moral foundations. This list explores how periods of crisis鈥攆rom revolution and civil war to reconstruction and reform鈥攈ave redefined the principles of American democracy. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: Immigration, citizenship, and belonging June 22, 2026 Immigration has been integral to the United States from its conception and continues to redefine belonging today. This list explores what it means to be an immigrant and how the politics of immigration control have impacted the quest for citizenship. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: First Peoples June 22, 2026 Long before the founding of the United States, Indigenous peoples shaped the lands and cultures of North America. This reading list centers their perspectives, examining encounter and dispossession across centuries of American history. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: The First Amendment June 22, 2026 Freedom of speech has been a cornerstone of American democracy, as well as the focus of ongoing discussion over dissent and the limits of power. This reading list explores the First Amendment and years of debate over who gets to speak, and why it matters. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: American letters June 22, 2026 Over the years, American writers have profoundly influenced鈥攁nd challenged鈥攖he nation鈥檚 understanding of itself. This reading list explores literature and intellectual traditions that illuminate how American letters have reflected conflict, imagination, and change over time. Read More
Reading List Reflecting on America鈥檚 250th anniversary: An experiment in democracy June 22, 2026 American democracy has always been an experiment鈥攃entering ideas about individual freedom and collective responsibility. This reading list explores how those ideas evolved, and were interpreted by thinkers and reformers who tried to understand what democracy could mean in practice. Read More
