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“A Republic, if You Can Keep It”: The Revolution’s tumultuous aftermath

This well-known response by Benjamin Franklin to a question addressed to him outside Constitution Hall in 1787 encapsulated his recognition that establishing and preserving this form of government would bring numerous challenges. Chief among them, he thought, were maintaining public virtue and achieving broad acceptance of democratic principles. This course, the fourth in the series exploring the American Revolution, and the impact of the experiment it initiated on American and global history, will explore phenomena and developments that put the founding ideals and principles of our constitutional form of government to the test.

Session 1: Broken promises, influx of new populations

From slavery to freedom and the rise of Jim Crow. The dispossession and resistance of Native Peoples. European migrations and the making of American industry.

Instructor: Robert Wolff

Session 2: Driving while Black

The author of African American Travel and the Road to Civil Rights (2020) will shed light on the obstacles African Americans encountered when traveling in a segregated society. Topics include the role of the automobile in the Civil Rights Movement and the development of resources like the Green Book.

Instructor: Gretchen Sorin (on Zoom)

Sessions 3 & 4: Political power dynamics in turbulent times

Two sessions, with content and readings based on events in the fall of 2026.

Instructor: Giulio Gallarotti

Four sessions, Wednesdays, Oct. 28 & Nov. 4, 11, 18, 6:30–8:30; Sessions 1, 3, & 4 at the Wasch Center, Session 2 on Zoom