The Political Scene | The New Yorker

The History Wars and America at 250, with the Historian Jill Lepore

May 18, 2026·32 min·4-min readnarrativehistory
Podzilla Summary (4 min)
TLDR
The episode explores how Americans have historically grappled with national identity during major anniversaries, particularly the bicentennial in 1976 and the upcoming 250th in 2026, revealing enduring ambivalence, political polarization, and the contested role of history in public life.

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Guest

B

Beverly Gage

narrative on The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Jill LeporeBeverly GageJelani CobbRichard Nixon

Books

We the People, A History of the U.S. Constitutionby Jill LeporeThis Land is Your Landby Beverly Gage

Companies

National Park Service

Topics

American HistoryCivil Rights HistoryHistorical FiguresInequalityLong Form JournalismPolitical NewsRacial Justice

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