How the American Revolution Ignited the World, 1775-1848

Jonathan Israel, one of the world’s leading historians of the Enlightenment, shows how the radical ideas of America’s founders set the pattern for democratic revolutions, movements, and constitutions around the world. Please join us for a presentation and discussion with two acclaimed historians.

Jonathan Israel is Professor in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study. His influential books include, most recently, Revolutionary Ideas: An Intellectual History of the French Revolution, Democratic Enlightenment: Philosophy, Revolution, and Human Rights, and A Revolution of the Mind: Radical Enlightenment and the Intellectual Origins of Modern Democracy. Sean Wilentz is Professor of American History at Princeton University and the author of the Bancroft Prize-winning The Rise of American Democracy among many other books. His most recent book is The Politicians and the Egalitarians: The Hidden History of American Politics.