Commemorate our 250th anniversary by exploring the founding principles of the United States… and how we live up to them!
This four-part discussion series will revolve around the book These Truths: A History of the U.S. Constitution by Jill Lepore. Each session will be on a different theme (The Idea, The People, The State, The Machine) linked to readings from sections of the book.
Lepore’s expansive study of the nation in one volume allows us to follow a single narrative that touches on all the essential issues and periods of American history.
Sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Andrew Darien, Associate Dean for the College of Arts & Sciences at Salem State University. Dr. Darien has taught as a history professor since 2004, specializing in modern U.S. History. When possible, he will invite guest experts to participate in the discussion sessions.
The Athenaeum has compiled a list of additional recommended readings on American history and ideals to supplement the series. These books are tagged in the Athenaeum’s Library Thing catalog under the heading “Citizen Bookshelf,” which can be accessed here. Some of these are displayed in the reading room in the area marked with a Citizen Bookshelf. Send us your suggestions for the list.
Has America lived up to its founding “truths”? Let’s read and find out together!
Part IV — The Machine (1946–2016)
December 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Chapters 13–16:
13. A World of Knowledge (pp. 521–588)
14. Rights and Wrongs pp. 589–645)
15. Battle Lines (pp. 646–718)
16. America, Disrupted (pp. 719–784)
This section connects postwar politics, civil rights, media, and technology. It shows how television, polling, and later digital media transformed public discourse and civic engagement, helping readers understand how information environments shape democratic participation and public trust.
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Epilogue: The Question Addressed (pp. 785–790)
Lepore returns to the book’s central question: Has America lived up to its founding “truths”? By revisiting how ideas, people, and institutions have struggled with that promise, the epilogue gives readers a framework for thinking about their own roles as citizens.
Attend any or all sessions!
April 23, June 11, September 24, and December 3
All discussion sessions start at 7:00 p.m.
Download These Truths_Reading List
Andrew Darien is Associate Dean for the College of Arts & Sciences at Salem State University, where he has taught as a history professor since 2004. He specializes in modern United States history and oral history. He is the author of Becoming New York’s Finest: Race, Gender and the Integration of the NYPD, 1935-1980, and Building the Sacred and the Progressive: A History of Temple Sinai in Brookline. He has been the project director for Student, Citizen, and Soldier, which has recorded and shared dozens of interviews with college veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He most recently completed an oral history project to document the queer history of Lynn through a series of gay and lesbian bars going back to the early 20th century. The American Association of State and Local History awarded Darien and United Lynn Pride the Corey Award for the best grassroots public history project in 2025.
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