The Ideas That Built America—and Where They Stand Today

Featuring

[Moderator] Sabrina Schaeffer, Vice President, Public Affairs, R Street Institute

Lindsay M. Chervinsky, PhD, Presidential Historian and Executive Director, George Washington Presidential Library at Mount Vernon

Overview

This fall, the R Street Institute launches a yearlong series of public conversations to mark the nation’s 250th anniversary and reflect on the enduring power of America’s founding principles. Our kickoff event features presidential historian Lindsay M. Chervinsky, executive director of the George Washington Presidential Library and author of Making the Presidency: John Adams and the Precedents That Forged the Republic and The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution.

In this fireside chat, we will explore the ideas that shaped America at its founding—equality, popular sovereignty, civic virtue, and limited government—and discuss how those ideals continue to resonate (and sometimes falter) in today’s political and cultural landscape. Together, we will reflect on how the founders’ vision might guide us in navigating 21st-century challenges—from political polarization and institutional trust to civic responsibility and the future of liberal democracy.

The event will take place in R Street’s Washington, D.C. offices, followed by a happy hour to foster dialogue and community.

Join us as we honor the past, explore the present, and imagine a freer, stronger, and more civically engaged future.

Learn more about how R Street is marking the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding.