How has the United States engaged with the world and debated the value of engagement as compared to isolationism? How has the place of the military in American life changed over time? How do civil and military authority work together in a democracy, and what challenges does this present? 

Join Admiral James O. Ellis Jr. (U.S. Navy, retired; Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution), David Kennedy (Donald J. McLachlan Professor of History, Emeritus), Jenny Martinez (Provost and Professor of Law), and Michael McFaul (Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in Political Science) for a wide-ranging discussion of these issues.

This event is part of the course “America at 250,” which reflects on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The class brings together 30 faculty from across the university for a series of roundtable discussions on how the concerns and values expressed in that document have played out across U.S. history. Members of the Stanford community (faculty, students, postdocs, staff) are welcome to attend individual sessions.

Sponsored by: Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford Democracy Hub and Department of History