Historians Nancy Isenberg and Andrew Burstein examine the parallels between the politics and personalities of father and son Presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams as described in their new book, The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality. The book highlights the Adamses’ prophetic warnings about the dangers of partisanship, demagoguery, and the politics of personality. Lana Ulrich, senior director of content at the National Constitution Center, moderates.
Participants
- Andrew Burnstein is the Charles P. Manship Professor of History at Louisiana State University, a noted Jefferson scholar, and the co-author of the recently published The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality. He is also the author of 10 previous books on early American politics and culture, including The Passions of Andrew Jackson, Jefferson's Secrets, and Democracy's Muse. He and Nancy Isenberg have co-authored regular pieces for national news outlets.
- Nancy Isenberg is the T. Harry Williams Professor of American History at Louisiana State University, and the co-author of the recently published The Problem of Democracy: The Presidents Adams Confront the Cult of Personality. She is also the author of the New York Times bestseller White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America, and the two award-winning books, Fallen Founder: The Life of Aaron Burr and Sex and Citizenship in Antebellum America. She is the coauthor with Andrew Burstein of Madison and Jefferson.
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Lana Ulrich is senior director of content, constitutional fellow, and senior counsel at the National Constitution Center, where she manages the Center's constitutional content and programming, including podcasts, America's Town Hall programs, exhibits, the online Interactive Constitution, and the Constitution Daily blog. She also assists with any legal matters relating to the Center’s operations, and directs the Continuing Legal Education program.
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