Joe Donahue

As America marks its 250th anniversary, few historians have done more to shape the way we understand the nation's founding than Ron Chernow. The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer has brought towering figures to life through acclaimed books on George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Ulysses S. Grant, and more recently, Mark Twain. In 1876, as the United States marked its centennial amid lingering divisions from the Civil War, Philadelphia hosted a world’s fair unlike any the nation had ever seen. In 'Centennial: The Great Fair of 1876 and the Invention of America’s Future,' historian Fergus Bordewich explores how that six-month exposition introduced millions of Americans to transformative new technologies, global cultures, and a vision of modern progress.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are public policy and communications expert - Theresa Bourgeois, Joseph Palamountain Jr. Chair in Government atSkidmore College Beau Breslin, and Senior Fellow for Health Policy at The Empire Center for Public Policy Bill Hammond.

In 'Tyrants and Rogues: Understanding the Declaration of Independence,' Robert Parkinson argues that the document’s often-overlooked list of grievances against King George III reveals what truly drove the Revolution and why independence became inevitable.Annette Gordon-Reed is a 'New York Times'–bestselling historian and the Carl M. Loeb University Professor at Harvard University. Her books include 'The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family,' which won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award and 'Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy.' Her latest is a volume she edited, 'Jefferson on Race: A Reader.'

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are a writer and analyst. He recently retired from the presidency of Siena College and was a former NY Congressman. His new book is “The Spirit of Philadelphia Chris Gibson, Former Vice President for Editorial Development at the New York Press Association and a longtime editor of the Daily Gazette, Judy Patrick, and Political Consultant & Lobbyist Libby Post.

Novelist Francine Prose’s latest, 'Five Weeks in the Country,' turns a strange real-life literary episode into rich, darkly funny fiction. In the summer of 1857, Hans Christian Andersen arrives at Charles Dickens’ country home for what should have been a brief visit. Instead, he stays five excruciating weeks.

Novelist Francine Prose’s latest, 'Five Weeks in the Country,' turns a strange real-life literary episode into rich, darkly funny fiction. In the summer of 1857, Hans Christian Andersen arrives at Charles Dickens’ country home for what should have been a brief visit. Instead, he stays five excruciating weeks.

As America prepares to mark its 250th birthday, there's no better time to revisit the people, ideas, triumphs, and contradictions that have shaped the nation. For this special edition of Book Picks, part of our series 'We Still Hold These Truths: America at 250,' we're joined by Mike Hare of Northshire Bookstore.

Historian Michael Auslin joins us to discuss his new book, 'National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America.' Rather than viewing the Declaration as a relic of the past, Auslin argues that it remains the nation's defining document—one whose ideals have inspired generations of Americans while continuing to spark debate about the country's promise and purpose.

The Roundtable Panel: a daily open discussion of issues in the news and beyond. Today's panelists are Semi-retired, Editor at large/columnist/editorial writer, Times Union Jay Jochnowitz, Associate Professor of Music at Vassar College. He studies music in American politics; sound studies; East Asian art music; and music in the African diaspora Justin Patch, Former Times Union Associate Editor Mike Spain, and Associate Professor in the department of sociology at Vassar College. Her research is on health, wellness, and medical knowledge Catherine Tan

H.W. Brands new book, 'American Patriarch,' turns to the nation's first president, George Washington. Rather than treating Washington as an untouchable icon, Brands explores the ambition, discipline, and restraint that shaped both the man and the new republic.Award-winning historian Rick Atkinson has spent decades bringing pivotal moments in American history to life through richly researched, compelling narrative. His latest book, The Fate of the Day: The War for America, Fort Ticonderoga to Charleston, 1777–1780, is the second volume of his acclaimed Revolution Trilogy, chronicling the critical middle years of the American Revolution as George Washington's army struggles to survive and the fight for independence hangs in the balance.