FREE October Lectures in Madison and Green Bay Examine Lives and Legacies of Six Founding Fathers Ahead of America’s 250th Anniversary  

MADISON, Wis. – This fall, the Wisconsin Historical Society’s annual James Madison Lecture Series will feature acclaimed scholar Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center. The FREE lectures, entitled “The Pursuit of Happiness,” will take place on the evenings of Oct. 6 in Green Bay and Oct. 7 in Madison, and will explore one of the nation’s most prominent founding ideals while profiling six influential figures at the time of America’s creation in 1776. As the countdown to America’s 250th anniversary continues, this timely lecture is an opportunity to reflect on and gain new perspective on an enduring principle at the heart of the American experiment.

“Jeffrey Rosen’s lecture invites us to engage with the voices of the past in a way that informs our present and inspires our collective future,” said Christian Overland, Ruth and Hartley Barker Director & CEO of the Wisconsin Historical Society. “We are so pleased to offer these free lectures as we approach a milestone anniversary of the founding of our nation. It is the perfect time to reexamine a central idea that has shaped our identity as a nation and endures today as we embark on our next chapter.”

In addition to serving as president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, Jeffrey Rosen is also a professor of law at the George Washington University Law School and a contributing editor of The Atlantic. He was previously the legal affairs editor of The New Republic and a staff writer for the New Yorker. Rosen hosts “We The People,” a weekly podcast featuring thoughtful constitutional debate. A graduate of Harvard College and Oxford University, he has authored several books including his newest title, “The Pursuit of Liberty: How Hamilton vs. Jefferson Ignited the Lasting Battle over Power in America,” coming out this October.

The James Madison Lecture is an annual lecture series on early American history co-presented by the Wisconsin Historical Society and the Center for the Study of the American Constitution at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The lectures honor the scholarly work of Dr. Merrill Jensen (1905-1980), an influential scholar of the American Revolution, beloved mentor, and longtime faculty member of the University of Wisconsin Department of History. Lectures are free with funding generously provided by the Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the James Madison Lectures endowment, which was made possible by a generous bequest from the Estate of John A. Peters and many private donors.

The lectures will take place at Brown County Central Library in Green Bay on Monday, Oct. 6, and Wisconsin Historical Society Headquarters in Madison on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Registration is FREE and the lectures will take place from 6-7 p.m. Both lectures will be preceded by a reception from 5-6 p.m. Click here to register today.

For more America 250th resources and events from the Wisconsin Historical Society, visit wihist.org/USA250.

About the Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active, and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.

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