The John L. Nau III History & Principles of Democracy Lab hosts the "Touchstones of Democracy" series to explore the key events, places, thinkers, and texts that inform the history and principles of democracy.
Leading up to the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in July 2026, the Touchstones event series will showcase recent books that expand and deepen our understanding of the era of the American Revolution—and illuminate the connections of that period to the present.
Produced by the University of Virginia's Karsh Institute of Democracy in partnership with the College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
Fall 2025
Law
How can the U.S. Constitution chart a path to repairing political divisions? Yuval Levin (AEI) joins UVA Law professor Mila Versteeg to discuss his book "American Covenant: How the Constitution Unified Our Nation—and Could Again."
America
How has the history of the United States been shaped by its relationship with Latin American nations? Pulitzer Prize–winning author Greg Grandin (Yale University) will discuss his new book, "America, América: A New History of the New World" with Anne Garland Mahler (UVA Spanish).
Art
The American Revolution was fought not just with muskets but also through works of art that articulated revolutionary ideals. Zara Anishanslin (University of Delaware) will join Douglas Fordham (UVA Art) to discuss her book "The Painter’s Fire: A Forgotten History of the Artists Who Championed the American Revolution."
Spring 2026
Taxes
How have debates over taxation shaped American history and its democracy? Vanessa Williamson (Brookings) discusses her new book with Justene Hill Edwards, UVA associate professor of history.
Religion
What is the role of religion in public life and how has religious thought given shape to American democracy and religious freedom? Jerome Copulsky (Georgetown University) and Adam Jortner (Auburn University) will discuss their new books in a conversation with Nichole Flores (UVA Religion).
Home
As the British occupied cities from Boston to Savannah during the American Revolution, how did the household become a crucial zone of meaning and transformation? Lauren Duval (Karsh Institute fellow) will discuss her new book with Jane Kamensky (Monticello).
Past Events
Tensions in American Conservative Thought
Matthew Continetti of the American Enterprise Institute shares his insights about the pressures that have shaped conservative thought and the conflicts between a desire for mainstream acceptance and the pull of extremism and populism.
Empowering Democratic Inclusion in a Globalized World
Archon Fung (Harvard Kennedy School), editor of Empowering Affected Interests, explores with Kirsten Gelsdorf (UVA Batten School) how democracy could be reconfigured in a world defined by increasing global interdependence.
Democracy and the Imagination
Deva Woodly (Brown University) and Lawrie Balfour (UVA Politics) discuss how their recent books reimagine the meaning of freedom and the possibilities of democracy. Moderated by Kevin Gaines (UVA Woodson Institute).
Democracy in a Fragile World Order
UVA professors John M. Owen II and James Davison Hunter discuss how the outcome of the 2024 U.S. election will influence the future of democracy globally.
Economic Policy: Shaping American Democracy
Government decisions in moments of financial panic have had lasting economic, social, and political effects for every American generation.
2020: Political and Social Legacies
How are the events of 2020 still shaping our debates and culture in 2024?
'Democracy for Busy People'
How can we make democratic participation more inclusive?
Secrecy and Transparency in the Era of Revolutions
Was secrecy ever legitimate during the French and American Revolutions?
The Future of Democracy in India
Advocates for democracy in India explore what we can learn from moments of renewal—after decades of decay.
'Ends of War'
UVA history professors Caroline Janney and Elizabeth Varon discuss Janney's book "Ends of War: The Unfinished Fight of Lee's Army After Appomattox."
'The Art of Thinking Freely'
Professor Andrew Curran (Wesleyan University), and French professor Philippe Roger (UVA) explore the influential French Enlightenment thinker Denis Diderot.
African American Thought Advancing Democracy
Melvin Rogers (Brown University) and Lawrie Balfour (UVA) examine how thinkers’ “light of faith” was darkened but not extinguished by slavery.
The image above features a portion of the painting 'The Oath of the Ancestors' by the Guadeloupe-born French artist Guillaume Lethière, offering an allegory celebrating the founding of Haiti in 1804. The hands of the two political leaders are on a stone tablet inscribed with the country’s motto “Unity Is Strength” and the revolutionary slogan “To Live Free or Die.” READ MORE>>