Upcoming Events
Conspiracy theories have been part of American political life from the beginning. Drawing from his recent book, Conspirator in Chief: The Long Tradition of Conspiracy Theories in the American Presidency, Knott examines presidents throughout American history who promoted or circulated political rumors and falsehoods, exploring how such claims have been used to undermine opponents and influence public opinion.
He will offer examples ranging from Thomas Jefferson to Donald Trump, as well as presidents who shunned conspiracy mongering and appealed instead to what Abraham Lincoln called the “better angels of our nature.”
Books may be purchased in advance through online or local booksellers. A book signing will follow.
This event is free and open to the public. No advance registration required.
Bio:
Dr. Stephen Knott is an Emeritus Professor of National Security Affairs at the United States Naval War College in Newport, RI and is the Thomas & Mabel Guy Professor of American History and Government at Ashland University. Prior to accepting his position at the Naval War College, Knott was Co-Chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. He is the author or co-author of eleven books examining with the American presidency, the early republic, and American foreign policy. His most recent book, Conspirator in Chief: The Long Tradition of Conspiracy Theories in the American Presidency, was published in 2026.
“The Constitution Is Broken and Should Not Be Reclaimed.” This headline from a New York Times editorial written by Harvard and Yale law professors is a more hyperbolic expression of a view increasingly prominent in the writings of law professors, journalists, political scientists, and politicians who deem the Constitution to be “broken,” “paralyzing,” “undemocratic,” and “obsolete.”
Join us for a discussion with Dennis Hale and Marc Landy of Boston College, authors of Keeping the Republic: A Defense of American Constitutionalism, as they provide a defense of American constitutionalism in the face of those criticisms.
The authors argue that such critics often forget what the Constitution attempts to achieve: a republican form of government in a nation as large as an empire. Complicating matters is that America was the first modern state—the first to be shaped by the expectation that government exists to protect natural rights to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”—and that it had to cope with inherent difficulties modernity poses for a diverse, as well as incurably commercially minded, society.
The Framers recognized that to sustain republican government in such circumstances required both an embrace of modernity and a determination to tame modernity’s most anti-republican excesses. This framework for building and constraining a modern state remains the best one for coping with the problems modernity still poses.
Peter B. Josephson, Professor of Politics at Saint Anselm College, will moderate the discussion.
Books will be available for purchase, and a book signing with the authors will follow.
This event is free and open to the public. No advance registration required.
Bio:
Dennis Hale served as a professor of political science at Boston College for 47 years, including as department chair, before retiring. His publications include The Jury in America: Triumph and Decline and Keeping the Republic: A Defense of American Constitutionalism, co-authored with Marc Landy. His insights have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, and The Epoch Times.
Marc Landy is Professor of Political Science at Boston College. He and Dennis Hale authored Keeping the Republic: A Defense of American Constitutionalism. He and Sidney Milkis authored Presidential Greatness. His most recent article Democrats Search Their Souls, appeared in National Affairs, Summer 2025. He is also a frequent media commentator, appearing on outlets such as NPR and the BBC to discuss executive power and American governance.
Peter B. Josephson is a Professor of Politics at Saint Anselm College, specializing in political theory and philosophy. He has published articles and book chapters on politics and popular culture, the political philosophy of Henry Kissinger, the roots of modern political economy, religion and liberal politics, and the political practices of classical liberalism. His books include works on John Locke and, with co-author R. Ward Holder, on the presidency of Barack Obama and the political theology of Reinhold Niebuhr.