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.