Upcoming Public Events

"President Thomas Jefferson"

February 7, 2022, 2:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. GMT), virtual. Hosted by the Bedford Branch of the Historical Association. The HA has over 45 local branches throughout the UK who organise their own programmes of historical lectures and activities, and collectively put on a programme of around 350 history events every year featuring leading historians and researchers. Branch events are open to both members and non-members and are a great way to socialise and meet other people from your local community who share an interest in history. 

Previous Public Events

The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind, with Andrew J. O'Shaughnessy

Monday, November 15, 2021, 6:00 p.m. ET, virtual.We hope you’ll join us for this special evening with Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy as he discusses his latest book,The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind. The book offers a twin biography of Thomas Jefferson in retirement and what would become the University of Virginia. Presented in partnership by the American Philosophical Society, The Library Company of Philadelphia, and the Thomas Jefferson Foundation. 

Inaugural Age of Jefferson Lecture: Dr. Andrew O'Shaughnessy

November 12, 2021, 4:00 p.m. ET, virtual. Join historian Andrew O'Shaughnessy for an engaging talk about his latest book, The Illimitable Freedom of the Human Mind: Thomas Jefferson’s Idea of a University. O'Shaughnessy will discuss how Jefferson’s vision anticipated the modern university and profoundly influenced the development of American higher education. The University of Virginia was the most visible apex of what was a much broader educational vision that distinguishes Jefferson as one of the earliest advocates of a public education system. 

More Than the Score

Saturday, October 16, 2021. The University of Virginia's Lifetime Learning will continue to offer More Than the Score lectures this fall as it has traditionally done for the last 14 years. This faculty-led talk series is typically held on Saturday mornings of home football games. This year they will share virtual talks, which may not coincide with the UVA football schedule; however, stellar faculty from their schools and units will continue to share their knowledge with alumni, parents, and friends.


 

2021 Founding Debates: Civic Education in America: Origins, Aspirations, Challenges

September 22, 2021. Hosted by George Washington's Mount Vernon.

This year’s exciting program will explore why civic education was so important to America's Founding generation and what we are learning in the twenty-first century about how we should prepare students for a lifetime of citizenship. This event will be followed by a reception.

The Founding Debates are sponsored by The Ammerman Family Foundation, Dr. Denis Franks and Joy Ammerman Franks, Michael and Stephanie Franks to honor former Mount Vernon President and CEO James C. Rees, whose vision lives on with the Washington Library.

 

Thomas Jefferson and the American Psyche

July 20, 2021. Annette Gordon-Reed author of THE HEMINGSES OF MONTICELLO: An American Family and her co-author of "MOST BLESSED OF THE PATRIARCHS": Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination, Peter Onuf, and Andrew J. O’Shaughnessy, author of THE ILLIMITABLE FREEDOM OF THE HUMAN MIND: Thomas Jefferson's Idea of a University.