Humanities West presents the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Humanities West presents the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence

Author: Commonwealth Club of California July 25, 2026 Duration: 2:24:03
It has been 250 years since upstart young leaders of the American colonies declared independence from King George III and imagined founding a republic, based on a democracy of sorts, which has, over 25 decades of difficult growth and adjustment, arrived at our current version of a government “of the people, by the people, for the people,” as President Lincoln put it. How far has our democracy come in a quarter of a millennium? And do we even believe yet in the idea at its core: that our civilization should change as the majority sees fit, with constitutional guardrails to protect us from their worst follies? Or are we almost all born authoritarians, bristling whenever the majority disagrees with our own visions of what America should be? Caroline Winterer will explain why the appeal to classical antiquity was so central to the American Revolution, and how even today it continues to shape our sense of America’s destiny. The United States is covered with classical architecture, and has a Senate, named for the ancient Roman senate. Even 250 years after the American Revolution, we continue to ask, “Are we Rome?” Is the American experiment in government by “we the people” doomed to fail, just as Rome did long ago? How can the United States avoid Rome’s destiny? Is the appeal to Ancient Rome an opportunity—or a trap? Ed Larson will explain why, in response to the words and deeds in the American fight for liberty, 1776 marked such a dramatic and decisive shift in patriot thinking. In a matter of months, the great bulk of American patriots went from seeking their rights as British subjects under royal rule to demanding their liberty under representative governments of their own making. With this came the corollary and similarly revolutionary embrace of the principle of the rule of law and the ideal of human political equality.   Join us to celebrate the improbable American experiment that has partially succeeded in achieving its goals for so long. A Humanities Member-led Forum program. Forums at the Club are organized and run by volunteer programmers who are members of The Commonwealth Club, and they cover a diverse range of topics. Learn more about our Forums. In association with Humanities West. Organizer: George Hammond  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 50

Commonwealth Club of California Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Simone Stolzoff: How to Not Know [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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The Etruscan culture, which flourished from the ninth to the first centuries B.C. in Tuscany, left behind a rich history with many unique traditions that are reflected in the artistic objects found in their tombs, temple…
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CLIMATE ONE ENCORE - Dead Heat: The Danger Of Home Power Shutoffs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:41
Summer is here, temperatures are rising — and so are electric bills. That also means many people are facing a severely overlooked issue: power shutoffs. According to a report by the U.S. Energy Information Administration…
CLIMATE ONE:  When Your New Neighbor Is… a Data Center [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:10
Across the country, developers are racing to build huge new buildings to house computers to fuel the AI boom, creating an explosive demand for new energy. While some hyperscalers seek renewable energy, others are turning…
Theo Baker: Uncovering Power and Money at Stanford University [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:14
While just a freshman reporter at The Stanford Daily, Theo Baker reported on accusations about Stanford’s president that culminated in his resignation. For his investigative reporting, he became the youngest ever recipie…
Contested Continent: The Struggle for North America, c. 1000–1680 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:11:32
North America was forged from the experiences of millions of Indigenous women and men as well as Europeans and Africans. Contested Continent, the first volume of the Oxford History of the United States series, is a far-r…