“Perilous Fight: Civic Patriotism in a Season of Ethnic Nationalism”: The Joanna Jackson Goldman Memorial Lectures, delivered by Jon Meacham, Part I

THIS IS A TWO-PART PROGRAM. YOU MUST REGISTER SEPARATELY FOR PART I, ON SEPTEMBER 23, AND PART II, ON SEPTEMBER 24. To register for Part II on September 24, click here.

Jon Meacham will deliver the Joanna Jackson Goldman Memorial Lectures on American Civilization and Government in two parts: Part I on September 23, Part II on September 24. This biennial lecture series at The New York Public Library, established by the estate of the historian Eric F. Goldman in honor of his wife, aims to encourage provocative comment and analysis concerning contemporary issues of deep, long-term significance for American democracy.

“Perilous Fight: Civic Patriotism in a Season of Ethnic Nationalism”: Part I of the Joanna Jackson Goldman Memorial Lectures.

In the first lecture, Jon Meacham will broadly define competing traditions within American politics and culture: civic patriotism and ethnic nationalism. Put very generally, “civic patriotism” can be understood as the allegiance of a people to a state devoted to principles of human liberty, individual dignity, representative government, and equality before the law. “Ethnic nationalism” can be seen as the impulse of a people to extend rights and to protect and pursue the interests only of a particular group whose members share, for instance, a place of birth, language, religious affiliation, or characteristics associated with racial categories and hierarchies. For our purposes, civic patriotism emphasizes possibility and pluralism; ethnic nationalism values stasis and homogeneity. Civic patriotism tends to be inclusive; ethnic nationalism is largely exclusive. Civic patriotism grows out of—and, rightly practiced, is supportive of—the democratic tradition embodied in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution; ethnic nationalism has more in common with autocratic movements that seek to supplant the liberal ethos of the rule of the many with the rule of the one, be it one man or one group.

The second lecture will explore how the tension between these forces have shaped our post–World War II politics. To register for Part II on September 24, click here.

To attend this event | Please be sure to register for an In-Person Ticket. Doors will open 30 minutes before the program begins. For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. Priority will be given to those who have registered in advance, but registration does not guarantee admission. All registered seats are released shortly before start time, and seats may become available at that time. A standby line will form shortly before the program.

The video recording of both lectures will be made available on the Library’s YouTube channel later in September. The lectures will not be livestreamed.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Jon Meacham is a Pulitzer Prize–winning biographer. The Rogers Chair in the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University, he is the author of the New York Times bestsellers And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle; His Truth Is Marching On: John Lewis and the Power of Hope; The Soul of America; The Hope of Glory: Reflections on the Last Words of Jesus; Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush; Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power; American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House; American Gospel; and Franklin and Winston.

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ACCESSIBILITY

Assistive listening devices and/or hearing loops are available at the venue. You can request a free ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) captioning service by emailing your request at least two weeks in advance of the event: email accessibility@nypl.org or use this Gmail template. This venue is fully accessible to wheelchairs.

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The Cullman Center is made possible by a generous endowment from Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman in honor of Brooke Russell Astor, with major support provided by Mrs. John L. Weinberg, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Estate of Charles J. Liebman, The von der Heyden Family Foundation, John and Constance Birkelund, and The Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, and with additional gifts from Helen and Roger Alcaly, The Rona Jaffe Foundation, The Arts and Letters Foundation Inc., William W. Karatz, Merilee and Roy Bostock, and Cullman Center Fellows.