Published on February 4, 2026 (Episode 442)
Introduction
Welcome to the first-ever Historically Thinking Roundtable. Given that it is now 2026, it seemed appropriate to devote this conversation to the 250th anniversary of the United States—and to the question of how historians can be involved in its commemoration.
Difficulties in doing so arise from at least two sources. One is political and cultural. Historians, like most academics, represent a relatively small slice of the American political pie. In an intensely partisan moment, academics are also among the least trusted people in public life—ranking alongside members of Congress in recent polling. It is easy, and perhaps natural, for professionals in universities and cultural institutions to respond defensively to this distrust. But beginning from a posture of attack and defense rarely produces good results.
The second difficulty is intellectual. Historians are trained to tell the whole story of the past, however complicated and messy. Anything less can feel like distortion. Yet civic life arguably requires an element of gratitude as well as critique, and those instincts do not always sit easily together. These tensions are felt most acutely by historians working in public-facing roles—especially in state historical societies, museums, and archives—who must navigate complexity, trust, and public responsibility at the same time.
With me to discuss these challenges, and how they might be addressed, are five historians working at the intersection of scholarship, public life, and civic memory.
About the Guests
Bill Peterson, Director of the State Historical Society of North Dakota
Trait Thompson, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Historical Society; podcast host
Ben Jones, South Dakota State Historian and Director of the South Dakota Historical Society
Ryan Cole, historian and speechwriter for the U.S. Senate; author of The Last Adieu: Lafayette’s Triumphant Return
Jill Weiss Simins, Historian and Director of Special Projects, Indiana State Archives
Together, they bring perspectives from across the Midwest and Plains states on what America 250 might become—and what it should avoid.
For Further Investigation
Related Episodes
Civic Bargain—Brook Manville and Josiah Ober on democracy, self-rule, and civic renewal
Can There Ever Be History for the Common Good?—Jonathan Zimmerman and Eliot Cohen discuss the role of patriotism and civic education in the teaching of history
Public Historian—Amanda Roper on preserving places, and stories that matter
Reflection Questions
Why does distrust of historians matter for public commemoration?
Can civic gratitude and historical complexity coexist without distortion?
What responsibilities do public historians have that differ from academic historians?
How might America 250 succeed—or fail—at the local level?
Tags
America 250 · Public History · Civic Memory · Historical Trust · Museums · State Historical Societies · Historical Thinking
