EVENT
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History, Storytelling, and the Future of Democracy

  • Date

    December 7, 2026

  • Time

    7:00 PM - 8:00 PM

  • Location

    The Robert H. Smith Auditorium at The New York Historical

    170 Central Park West,
    New York, NY 10024
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As we move through the 250th year of our nation’s history, Americans are asking fundamental questions about our past and our future. What role should history play in preparing citizens for self-government? What should every American know about our founding principles? And how can education cultivate the civic knowledge and habits essential to a thriving democracy? 

The speakers will examine how the nation’s founding ideals continue to shape public life, the challenges of teaching history in an era of polarization, and the role of schools, universities, museums, and cultural institutions in preparing informed and engaged citizens. This timely discussion invites audiences to consider not only what we remember about our past, but why that history matters for the future of our democracy. 

The American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) is proud to partner with The New York Historical on this program as part of the work of ACTA’s National Commission on American History and Civic Education. Comprised of 24 leading scholars and historians and chaired by Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of The New York Historical, the Commission is dedicated to strengthening civic and historical literacy by restoring a requirement that every college student complete a rigorous, semester-long course on the American story.

Speakers:

Akhil Reed Amar

Amar is a scholar trustee of The New York Historical, is Sterling Professor of Law and Political Science at Yale University and the author of Born Equal: Remaking America’s Constitution, 1840–1920, among other works.

Beverly Gage

Gage is a professor of 20th-century American history at Yale, a scholar trustee of The New York Historical, and the author, most recently, of This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History and the Pultizer Prize-winning G-Man: J. Edgar Hoover and the Making of the American Century.

Roosevelt Montás

Montás is the executive director of the Chang Chavkin Center, the Laura Y. Chang and Arnold Chavkin Professor in Liberal Education and Civic Life at Bard College, and the author of Rescuing Socrates: How the Great Books Changed My Life and Why They Matter for a New Generation.

Joanne Lipman

Moderator

Lipman is a scholar trustee of The New York Historical, is an author and journalist who has served as editor-in-chief of organizations including USA Today and the Wall Street Journal’s Weekend Journal. 

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