Harvard Kennedy School launches new event series marking 250th Anniversary of America’s Founding | Harvard Kennedy School
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:16
Harvard Kennedy School launches new event series marking 250th Anniversary of America’s Founding | Harvard Kennedy School
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Harvard Kennedy School launches new event series marking 250th Anniversary of America’s Founding
March 16, 2026
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Today, Harvard Kennedy School announced
The Consent of the Governed: America at 250 and Beyond
—a series of conversations exploring the past, present, and future of the American experiment.
The series, moderated by
Jill Lepore
and hosted by the Institute of Politics, will bring together a wide range of leaders in politics, culture, academia, technology, and journalism to discuss the core questions and challenges facing America as it celebrates its 250th anniversary. Among others, participants will include
Pete Buttigieg
, former Secretary of Transportation and IOP student president;
Drew Gilpin Faust
, 28th President of Harvard University and Arthur Kingsley Porter University Research Professor;
Eddie Glaude
, political commentator and Princeton University James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor;
Bill McKibben
, award-winning environmentalist and author; and
Mitt Romney
, former U.S. Senator, Governor of Massachusetts, and Republican nominee for President.
“As America marks an important milestone, Harvard Kennedy School has both an opportunity and an obligation to convene the kinds of honest, rigorous conversations that this moment demands,” said
Jeremy M. Weinstein
, Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. “By bringing together leaders from varied perspectives to discuss the most important issues of our time, we hope to explore where America has been and what it might yet become.”
“American history is an ever-unfolding story,” said
Jill Lepore
, Professor of American History at Harvard University and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School; staff writer at The New Yorker; and New York Times best-selling author. “But this year, an inflection point in so many ways, is an excellent time to look back, take stock, and look ahead.”
In a moment of uncertainty and change in the country, Professor Lepore and our distinguished guests will focus on themes of enduring and emerging importance to the American experiment, including:
The forces of polarization, union, and disunion in American history and contemporary politics
The origins, evolution, and future of American constitutionalism, the separation of powers, and the rule of law
The importance of a well-informed citizenry to the health of a constitutional democracy
The ways that government decision-making, environmental stewardship, and rapidly advancing technologies will intersect to shape America’s collective future
The series will begin in March and continue through the end of the year, surrounding the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. It will launch on March 30 with an event featuring Pete Buttigieg, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Eddie Glaude about the forces of union and disunion that have both tested and unified our republic over the past 250 years.
This series is a part of HKS and the IOP’s broader efforts to help our students learn by bringing people to campus from across the political landscape to have hard and meaningful conversations about the most important issues of our time. HKS and the IOP also recently launched a
debate and debrief series
in service of this mission, featuring conversations between Harvard faculty and invited guests who approach an issue from a different point of view.
Additional details about the America at 250 and Beyond series—including future event dates and themes—will be announced in the coming months. For more information, visit the
series’ website
.
Media Contact
mediarelations@hks.harvard.edu
Skip to main content
Harvard Kennedy School launches new event series marking 250th Anniversary of America’s Founding
March 16, 2026
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Today, Harvard Kennedy School announced
The Consent of the Governed: America at 250 and Beyond
—a series of conversations exploring the past, present, and future of the American experiment.
The series, moderated by
Jill Lepore
and hosted by the Institute of Politics, will bring together a wide range of leaders in politics, culture, academia, technology, and journalism to discuss the core questions and challenges facing America as it celebrates its 250th anniversary. Among others, participants will include
Pete Buttigieg
, former Secretary of Transportation and IOP student president;
Drew Gilpin Faust
, 28th President of Harvard University and Arthur Kingsley Porter University Research Professor;
Eddie Glaude
, political commentator and Princeton University James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor;
Bill McKibben
, award-winning environmentalist and author; and
Mitt Romney
, former U.S. Senator, Governor of Massachusetts, and Republican nominee for President.
“As America marks an important milestone, Harvard Kennedy School has both an opportunity and an obligation to convene the kinds of honest, rigorous conversations that this moment demands,” said
Jeremy M. Weinstein
, Dean and Don K. Price Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. “By bringing together leaders from varied perspectives to discuss the most important issues of our time, we hope to explore where America has been and what it might yet become.”
“American history is an ever-unfolding story,” said
Jill Lepore
, Professor of American History at Harvard University and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School; staff writer at The New Yorker; and New York Times best-selling author. “But this year, an inflection point in so many ways, is an excellent time to look back, take stock, and look ahead.”
In a moment of uncertainty and change in the country, Professor Lepore and our distinguished guests will focus on themes of enduring and emerging importance to the American experiment, including:
The forces of polarization, union, and disunion in American history and contemporary politics
The origins, evolution, and future of American constitutionalism, the separation of powers, and the rule of law
The importance of a well-informed citizenry to the health of a constitutional democracy
The ways that government decision-making, environmental stewardship, and rapidly advancing technologies will intersect to shape America’s collective future
The series will begin in March and continue through the end of the year, surrounding the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026. It will launch on March 30 with an event featuring Pete Buttigieg, Drew Gilpin Faust, and Eddie Glaude about the forces of union and disunion that have both tested and unified our republic over the past 250 years.
This series is a part of HKS and the IOP’s broader efforts to help our students learn by bringing people to campus from across the political landscape to have hard and meaningful conversations about the most important issues of our time. HKS and the IOP also recently launched a
debate and debrief series
in service of this mission, featuring conversations between Harvard faculty and invited guests who approach an issue from a different point of view.
Additional details about the America at 250 and Beyond series—including future event dates and themes—will be announced in the coming months. For more information, visit the
series’ website
.
Media Contact
mediarelations@hks.harvard.edu