What 1976 Got Right About America

Matt Welch discusses the forgotten reality of the bicentennial, the cultural impact of Roots, and why America doesn't need a single national story.

Rebecca Goldstein discusses the search for meaning, the roots of modern discontent, and how people build purpose in a secular age.

Damon Root discusses the path to emancipation, the struggle to secure freedom after the Civil War, and the constitutional changes that remade America.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin E. Roth discusses the moral limits of markets, how bans create black markets, and why harm reduction often works better than prohibition.

Johan Norberg discusses what makes societies prosperous, why protectionism and nostalgia keep returning, and how populism feeds cultural decline.

Jacob Mchangama and Jeff Kosseff discuss the global decline of free speech, why democracies are embracing censorship, and what can be done to protect open debate.

Sen. John Fetterman discusses the state of the Democratic Party, immigration, foreign policy, and the dangers of political extremism.

The Supreme Court justice discusses the Declaration of Independence, how unchecked power threatens liberty, and what the Founders can teach future generations.

Andy Serkis discusses the corrupting nature of power, what Animal Farm says about modern authoritarianism, and whether technology expands or diminishes human creativity.

Economist Jennifer Doleac discusses why long sentences don’t reduce crime, how first-time defendants benefit from leniency, and why clearance rates are key to crime reduction.