Jim Downs presents U.S. History at the 250th: From the Revolution to the History Wars

Please join us here at Barnes & Noble Upper West Side in welcoming Jim Downs and other contributors for a discussion and signing of U.S HISTORY AT THE 250TH: From the Revolution to the History Wars. A purchase of U.S. HISTORY AT THE 250TH  from Barnes & Noble Upper West Side is required to join the signing line at this event. Please call ahead and speak to a bookseller and reserve your copy.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The year 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. But does the nation begin in 1776, or do we trace its origins to some point earlier—for example, the arrival of the first enslaved people in 1619 or the initial settlement of Indigenous people? What’s at stake with establishing a date that marks the nation’s origins? Where does the history of the nation begin? In colonial New England, the Chesapeake, or in the Southwest?

In this unprecedented volume, leading thinkers come together to debate these—and many other—issues. Their conversation shows that U.S history is not just about what happened but who gets to tell the story and the political implications of the narratives we tell. The participants include two Pulitzer Prize winners: Nikole Hannah-Jones, who created the 1619 Project and ignited a national conversation about slavery and the nation’s founding; and Annette Gordon-Reed, who documented Thomas Jefferson’s relationship with Sally Hemmings. The other specialists include experts in Asian American, civil rights, Native American, Latino, LGBT, and early American history.