Pulitzer Prize winning author Edward Larson joins us for a conversation on his new book American Inheritance: Liberty and Slavery in the Birth of a Nation, 1765-1795, in which he discusses how liberty and slavery were intertwined during the nation’s founding. Professor Larson examines the role of Black Americans during the Revolutionary War and in […]

Vanderbilt political historian and best-selling author Eli Merritt reveals the deep political divisions that almost tore the Union apart during the American Revolution. Despite their differences, the nation’s founders united for the sake of liberty and self-preservation, forging grueling compromises to hold the nation together. Merritt’s book serves as a reminder that commitment to ethical […]

John Kaag, the Donohue Professor of Ethics and the Arts at UMass Lowell and External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute, joins us to launch his new book "Henry at Work: Thoreau on Making a Living." Professor Kaag discusses what Thoreau can teach us about working—why we do it, what it does to us, and […]