The Transatlantic Enlightenment and the American Revolution

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, this roundtable reassesses the American Revolution through the lens of the Enlightenment and its contested legacy. Leading scholars of European and Atlantic intellectual history, early American political culture, and the law and cultural politics of rights will examine how Enlightenment ideas crossed the Atlantic and were translated into the American context. They will consider where those ideas widened political possibilities, and where they exposed exclusions and contradictions.

The conversation joins historical depth with contemporary relevance. It will trace the eighteenth-century origins of debates over liberty, rights, federalism, and self-government, and ask what the renewed pressure on Enlightenment principles today means for how we understand them.

Introduction and Moderation

• Kevin Butterfield, Kluge Center, Library of Congress
• Axel Jansen, German Historical Institute Washington

Panelists

• Jürgen Overhoff, University of Münster, Germany
• Sarah Pearsall, Johns Hopkins University
• Eric Slauter, University of Chicago

The program will be followed by a small reception.

Registration: Registration is requested for both in-person and online attendance.

Attending online? Please register through Zoom.

The roundtable will begin at noon, with doors opening at 11:30 a.m. The discussion will also be livestreamed; further details and the streaming link will be shared soon.