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Melody Barnes on stage with Ken Burns and Jeffrey Rosen
News | November 6, 2025
November 6, 2025

'A More Perfect Union,' a New PBS Special, To Premiere on Nov. 24

Recorded at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, "A More Perfect Union" features filmmakers Ken Burns and Sarah Botstein and AEI’s Yuval Levin in conversation with co-moderators Jeffrey Rosen of the National Constitution Center and Melody Barnes of the Karsh Institute of Democracy.

www.pbs.org

Painting of James Madison
News | February 25, 2025
February 25, 2025

With America in Crisis, Where Are the Institutionalists?

As the White House ignores judicial decisions, and Congress is increasingly lackluster in its willingness to exert its prerogatives in our mixed government system—this is the time for institutionalists to step forward, writes the Karsh Institute's research director.

Q&A with Jessica Kimmel Johnson and Laurent Dubois
News | February 5, 2025
February 5, 2025

Making the Case for Democracy

The Karsh Institute’s Laurent Dubois and Jessica Kimpell Johnson examine the moral and practical justifications for democracy, discuss how it can address the challenges of our time, and make the case for why—despite its imperfections—democracy remains the most compelling form of government.

Alexis de Tocqueville sketch
News | February 3, 2025
February 3, 2025

For Tocqueville, Oligarchy Threatens Civil Society and Solidarity

"Many have thought that declining civic health could be restored through a revitalization of civil society and a rebuilding of solidarity. A primary source for that perspective that is shared across the political spectrum is Alexis de Tocqueville’s 'Democracy in America,'” writes the Karsh Institute's research director.

President Trump's inauguration band in 2025
News | January 31, 2025
January 31, 2025

'Sound & Democracy': Inauguration Day 2025

A little more than 24 hours after President Donald Trump’s second inauguration, six UVA music students gathered to analyze the sounds—and silences—of the ceremony, examining how these auditory elements are part of the rituals and practices that both reflect and shape democratic culture.

UVA Class of 1974
News | July 1, 2024
July 1, 2024

‘Speaking of Women’: The Class of 1974

Mary Kate Cary, former White House speechwriter for George H. W. Bush, highlighted the powerful oratory of three American women—Senator Margaret Chase Smith, Representative Barbara Jordan, and First Lady Barbara Bush—at the Karsh Institute’s “Speaking of Women” event, emphasizing their impact on American democracy and values.