Every Sunday at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT)
Upcoming Book Breaks
June
June 2nd - Richard Brookhiser on Glorious Lessons: John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution
An iconic painting is on display in the US Capitol: Thomas Jefferson submits a first draft of the Declaration of Independence to John Hancock, president of the Second Continental Congress, as forty-five other founders bear witness. Every American school child recognizes this scene, called The Declaration of Independence—it might be on the cover of their textbook or featured on a classroom poster—but few know much about the artist. As the Revolution’s preeminent storyteller, John Trumbull gave visual form to the struggle for independence and to the ensuing democratic experiment.
Richard Brookhiser is a senior editor at National Review. He is the author of Give Me Liberty: A History of America’s Exceptional Idea and John Marshall: The Man Who Made the Supreme Court.
June 9 - Rachel L. Swarns on The 272: The Families Who Were Enslaved and Sold to Build the American Catholic Church
June 16 - Eddie S. Glaude Jr. on We Are the Leaders We Have Been Looking For (The W. E. B. Du Bois Lectures)
History Scholar of the Week
Middle and high school students (age 13 and up), submit your questions for one of the historians being featured on Book Breaks! If your question is chosen, you will be named History Scholar of the Week, and it will be announced live on the program! In addition, both you and your teacher will win a $50 gift certificate to the Gilder Lehrman Gift Shop. Your question can be about the book or the topic in general. Please submit only one question per program.
Submit your question here.
The deadline to submit a question for the upcoming Book Breaks is Thursday.
Book Breaks Archive
The Book Breaks archive contains more than three years of past programs featuring historians such as David Blight, H. W. Brands, Ken Burns, Eric Foner, Annette Gordon-Reed, Peniel Joseph, Jon Meacham, Elizabeth Varon, and more. Still deciding whether to subscribe? You can watch Harold Holzer’s talk on Brought Forth on This Continent: Abraham Lincoln and American Immigration (winner of the Lincoln Prize) below to help you make up your mind.
View the full archive of past sessions
The Institute thanks Citizen Travelers, the nonpartisan civic engagement initiative of The Travelers Companies, Inc., for its support of Book Breaks.