Many of the questions confronting the country today, including presidential power, political realignment, economic nationalism, and America’s role in the world, may feel unprecedented. But how new are they? And what can earlier periods of upheaval and transformation teach us about the moment America is experiencing now?

Niall Ferguson opened the discussion with a dynamic journey through pivotal moments in American history, exploring how earlier presidents and generations confronted similar tensions and turning points. David Kennedy joined him to examine those historical parallels, consider where they break down, and ask what history can and cannot tell us about the present.

As America begins its next 250 years, this conversation looked to the first 250 to better understand where we are today and what may come next.

The Trump Presidency: A 250-Year Perspective

Upcoming Events

Thursday, November 12, 2026 4:30 PM PT
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25 Years After 9/11: The History And Future Of Surveillance, Technology, And Democracy
How does a free society use increasingly powerful technologies to protect itself without compromising the freedoms it exists to protect? Register To… Hoover Institution, Stanford University
Monday, November 16, 2026
Reading Adam Smith in North Korea An Insider's View of the State
The Northeast Asia History Working Group of the Hoover History Lab invites you to attend Reading Adam Smith in North Korea: An Insider's View of the… Shultz Auditorium, George P. Shultz Building
Tuesday, November 17, 2026
Rural America
Symposium On Domestic Rural Life And Institutions
Rural America encompasses diverse communities and experiences, shaped by a wide range of political, economic, social, and environmental forces. 
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