COLLEGE 102 and the Hoover Institution host America at 250: Classical Heritage, Western Civilization, the Future on Wednesday, February 11, 2026, from 6:00-8:00 PM PT.
As we approach America’s 250th anniversary, questions about its intellectual foundations and future direction remain central to civic life. What traditions shaped the American experiment in its first two and a half centuries, and which ideas will continue to guide it in the years ahead?
This special panel, presented in collaboration with Stanford’s College 102 program, the Hoover Institution, and the Department of History, examines the classical and 18th-century Enlightenment influences that have shaped American political and civic thought, as well as other traditions. Speakers will explore how ideas drawn from antiquity and Western civilization informed the nation’s founding, how the legacy of slavery complicates that inheritance, and how differing interpretations of the past continue to shape debates about America’s future.
After introductory remarks by Stephen Kotkin, the program will feature presentations by Barry Strauss, Caroline Winterer, Dan Edelstein, and Anne Twitty. Jonathan Gienapp will moderate the discussion, offer comments, and engage the audience, all with the aim of fostering a rigorous and civic exchange thatmodels how to manage open inquiry and disagreement.
FEATURING
Jonathan Gienapp - Associate Professor of History and of Law
Barry Strauss - Corliss Page Dean Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
Caroline Winterer - William Robertson Coe Professor of History and American Studies, Professor of History and, by courtesy, of Classics and of Education
Dan Edelstein - William H. Bonsall Professor of French, Professor, by courtesy, of History and of Political Science, and Senior Fellow, by courtesy, Hoover Institution
Anne Twitty - Associate Professor of History and, by courtesy, of Law
INTRODUCTION BY
Stephen Kotkin - Kleinheinz Family Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution
