The Hoover Institution brings together historians Niall Ferguson and David M. Kennedy to examine today’s presidency through the long lens of American history.
Many of the questions confronting the country today, including presidential power, political realignment, economic nationalism, and America’s role in the world, may feel unprecedented. But how new are they? And what can earlier periods of upheaval and transformation teach us about the moment America is experiencing now?
Ferguson will open with a dynamic journey through pivotal moments in American history, exploring how earlier presidents and generations confronted similar tensions and turning points. Kennedy will then join him to examine those historical parallels, consider where they break down, and ask what history can and cannot tell us about the present.
As America begins its next 250 years, this conversation looks to the first 250 to better understand where we are today and what may come next.
