Scholar Talks with BRI Senior Fellow, Tony Williams

BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with renowned historian Allen Guelzo, Director of the James Madison Program’s Initiative in Politics and Statesmanship, author of twelve bestselling books, and winner of the prestigious Lincoln Prize three times, to discuss Dr. Guelzo’s acclaimed book, "Lincoln and Douglas: The Debates that Defined America." Together, they examine the importance of civil political discourse in a democracy. They also converse about Lincoln and Douglas’ differing republican political principles and ideas about slavery. Does democracy have a higher moral purpose? What can the Lincoln-Douglas debates teach us about constitutional principles and civil discourse?

How did American institutions prove their resilience amid the tumultuous 1968 presidential election? In this episode of Scholar Talks, Michael Nelson, the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College and Senior Fellow at the UVA Jack Miller Center, joins BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams to talk about his new book, "Resilient America: Electing Nixon in 1968, Channeling Dissent, and Dividing Government." Together, they discuss postwar American political trends, divisions in American society, and the candidates who ran. How did the 1968 presidential election lead to a divided government and how did it demonstrate the resilience of American institutions?

Explore more Black voices from across U.S. History with our primary source based curriculum: The Plainest Demands of Justice: Documents for Dialogue on the African American Experience. Learn more at https://billofrightsinstitute.org/mkt-the-plainest-demands-of-justice. How did Frederick Douglass contribute to our understanding of the Black experience in America? In the second episode of our series, “Black Intellectuals and the African-American Experience,” BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with Peter C. Myers, professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, to explore the life and legacy of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. How did Douglass view American Founding documents? What were the most important challenges in the struggle for Black equality and justice according to Douglass?

20+ minute interviews with modern authors and scholars on topics of U.S. History and Civics.

BRI Senior Teaching Fellow, Tony Williams, and guest scholar Ed Lengel will be discussing Lengel's compelling essays in BRI's new Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness Digital Textbook on the dramatic Pacific theater of World War II. Lengel will narrate the captivating story of Japan’s aggressive expansionism during the 1930s in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the brutal fighting in the Pacific, and the consequential dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the summer of 1945.

Tony is joined by Amity Shlaes, author of the best-selling books on Coolidge and on the Great Society, to discuss her fascinating essay on Calvin Coolidge in BRI's new digital U.S. History textbook, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. She details the virtues Coolidge developed as a young man and his views of the role of government in the early twentieth century. What actions did Coolidge take as president to support his ideals of a limited government and create a prosperous free-market economy during the 1920s? And how did Coolidge acknowledge constitutional principles and civic virtues in his domestic and foreign policy?

This week, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Andrew Fisher, associate professor of history and director of the Environmental Science and Policy program at the College of William & Mary, to discuss Fisher's vivid essay on Native Americans in BRI's new digital textbook, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. In fascinating detail, Fisher will explain how each region of the country was composed of incredibly diverse groups of Native American peoples and the different economic systems, gender roles, and interactions with the environment. Fisher also explores pre-Columbian Native American cultures and how they were later affected by interaction with Europeans over the next few centuries.

BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with author and University of Indianapolis professor of history James Fuller to discuss the dramatic 1860 presidential election and why it was so significant. Fuller reviews the sectionalism that divided the country and the contention that surrounded the election. What dangers threaten the national union when citizens do not trust each other? And what happens when groups of voters put their self-interest before the common good? Fuller is the author of several books on the Civil War and Reconstruction including "The Election of 1860 Reconsidered."

Why is it important to have conversations about contested ideals as Americans? In this special Constitution Day Live episode of Scholar Talks, Tony is joined by Andrew Lang, professor of history at Mississippi State University, to talk about his newest book, ' A Contest of Civilizations: Exposing the Crisis of American Exceptionalism in the Civil War Era.’ Together, they talk through different northern and southern understandings of American ideals, how emancipation and the Union enlistment impact affected the understanding of American exceptionalism, and more.

BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with Foundation Professor of History at Arizona State University and Civil War and Reconstruction expert, Dr. Brooks Simpson, to discuss the tumultuous period of Reconstruction and how the country addressed African American rights after the Civil War. Simpson delves into the justice and injustice of the policies and laws of Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Ulysses S. Grant, and Congress. What successes were achieved by African Americans during Reconstruction? How were African-American rights curtailed by white supremacist violence and legalized discrimination?

We all know the Declaration of Independence, but do we know the philosophical and moral underpinnings behind the famous document? In this Scholar Talk video, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow, Tony Williams and C. Bradley Thompson, Professor of Political Science at Clemson University, discuss Thompson's book "America's Revolutionary Mind: A Moral History of the American Revolution and the Declaration That Defined It." How did the moral ideas of natural rights and self-government borrowed from Enlightenment thinkers like John Locke help shape the founding of the nation? In what way was the Revolution, as Adams called it, a “Revolution [that] was in the Minds and Hearts of the People?”

George Washington spent a lifetime mastering politics before he was unanimously elected the nation’s first president. In this Scholar Talk video, Tony Williams and distinguished bestselling historian David O. Stewart discuss Stewart's new book, "George Washington: The Political Rise of America's Founding Father," and how George Washington demonstrated political genius in helping create the American republic. How did Washington grow from a brash and impatient young man to exercise the civic virtues of restraint and moderation? What are some of the lessons we can still learn from America's first Commander in Chief?

How did Abraham Lincoln’s rhetoric in his speeches represent his principled statesmanship? In this episode of Scholar Talks, Diana Schaub, Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Maryland, joins BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams. The two talk about three of Lincoln’s most iconic speeches and how they reflect his principles and moral vision. How can these speeches help us think about American purpose and identity today?

After the Founders established a republican political regime based on the ideals of natural rights and equality, how did the South create a system of enslavement and an oligarchy with rule by the few? In this video, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Forrest Nabors, Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Alaska at Anchorage, to discuss his new book, "From Oligarchy to Republicanism: The Great Task of Reconstruction." Nabors explains how the South turned away from Founding ideals and grew into a society in which few had power over many in the years leading up to the Civil War. How was Reconstruction an attempt to replace the southern oligarchical system with a free government of liberty and equality? About Forrest Nabors: Professor Forrest Nabors previously taught American government and political philosophy at Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. Prior to becoming a professor, Nabors was a high technology business executive in Portland, Oregon. "From Oligarchy to Republicanism: The Great Task of Reconstruction" won the award for best book in American Political Thought in 2017 from the American Political Science Association.

What role do emotions play in presidential campaigns and elections? In this episode of Scholar Talks, Heather Yates, Professor of Political Science at the University of Central Arkansas and author of The Politics of Emotions: Candidates and Choices, joins BRI Senior Fellow Tony Williams to explore how emotions shape modern elections. This episode delves into why campaigns have become more emotional, the influence of media and social media, and key emotional drivers in elections from 2004 to 2016. Heather Yates explains how emotions can complement rational decision-making and what this means for the health of American politics and civil society.

What next paths did President Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger forge in American Cold War foreign policy? In this Cold War & the Presidency Scholar Talk, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Jeremi Suri, Professor of History and Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin, to discuss how Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger subverted Congressional oversight to achieve their Cold War agenda. What was different about their approaches from those of previous administrations? Should Nixon have been able to use so much presidential power to achieve peace?

What were Abraham Lincoln’s views on race and freedom and equality for Black Americans? In this episode of Scholar Talks, Jon White, associate professor of American Studies at Christopher Newport University and prize-winning historian and author, joins BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams to discuss his two books, "A House Built by Slaves: African American Visitors to the Lincoln White House" and "To Address You as My Friend: African Americans’ Letters to Abraham Lincoln." Together, they talk about Lincoln’s policies and personal relationships with African Americans during his time in office. How did Lincoln’s views shape his presidency and his relationship with African Americans?

What constitutional principles comprised Lincoln’s political philosophy? In this Scholar Talk video, BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with Lucas Morel, Professor of Politics at Washington & Lee University, to discuss Morel's new book, "Lincoln and the American Founding." Morel explains how the natural rights republicanism of the Declaration of Independence and the principles of the Constitution formed the foundation of Lincoln’s political philosophy. This philosophy also shaped Lincoln’s statesmanship regarding the moral evil of slavery. What is the relationship between political ideas and actions in pursuit of justice, and which civic virtues are necessary for a principled leader to rule justly?

How can political parties help to unite Americans? To explore this question, BRI Senior Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Joseph Postell, Professor of Politics at Hillsdale College. They discuss together how American political parties can be forces of unity rather than division and partisanship, how the Founders viewed political parties, and attempts made during the Progressive Era to eliminate them. What are the positive roles of political parties throughout American history? What were the arguments of constitutional conservatives regarding their constructive role?

What are the constitutional powers and limits of the American presidency? In this episode of Scholar Talks, Lara Brown, professor and the director of the Graduate School of Political Management (GSPM) at the George Washington University, joins BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams to talk about her book “Amateur Hour: Presidential Character and the Question of Leadership.” Together, they discuss important presidential character traits, notable and poor examples of these traits in contemporary presidencies, and how these traits can work to support constitutional principles and bring prestige and honor to the office of president.

What factors contributed to the origins of the Cold War during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt? Join us today for the first episode of our summer Scholar Talks miniseries, “Cold War & the Presidency.” BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by Sean McMeekin, Professor of History at Bard College, as they discuss his new book, "Stalin's War: A New History of World War II." How did FDR’s presidential unilateralism and diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union shape executive power during World War II and for his successors during the Cold War?