American Political Thought Seminar at the Newberry

American Political Thought Seminar Sponsored by JMC

Friday, April 11th, 3:30-5:00 pm, Towner Fellow’s Lounge

Eric Nelson, Harvard University, “‘The Lord Alone Shall Be King of America’: Hebraism and the Republican Turn of 1776”

Reception to follow

Eric Nelson is Professor of Government at Harvard University. His research focuses on the history of political thought in early-modern Europe and America, and on the implications of that history for debates in contemporary political theory. Nelson is the author of The Hebrew Republic: Jewish Sources and the Transformation of European Political Thought (2010). His new book, The Royalist Revolution: Monarchy in American Political Thought, 1765-1789, is forthcoming from Harvard University Press.

Wednesday, May 14th, 3:30-5:00 pm, Towner Fellow’s Lounge

Danielle Allen, Princeton University, “The Pursuit of Happiness”: On John Adams and Egalitarianism in the Declaration of Independence

Reception to follow

Danielle Allen is a political theorist who has published broadly in democratic theory, political sociology, and the history of political thought. Widely known for her work on justice and citizenship in both ancient Athens and modern America, Allen is the author of Why Plato Wrote (2010) and Our Declaration (Norton/Liveright, 2014). Allen is a frequent public lecturer and regular guest on public radio affiliates to discuss issues of citizenship.

Lectures held at the Newberry Library.