Sandra Day O'Connor Institute for American Democracy

Is democracy in trouble? Many Americans believe so: recent polls consistently rank "threats to democracy" as one of respondents' top concerns. In the new book The Civic Bargain, authors Brook Manville and Josiah Ober look to history for examples of democracies under threat. By examining the ways in which historical democracies confronted their own challenges, the authors are able t

At a time when many Americans struggle with economic insecurity, sociologist Jessica Calarco offers an exploration of how women have become America’s default social safety net. Calarco joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss her latest book, Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net. Drawing on extensive research and interviews, she argues that American soci

As we transition from Black History Month into Women's History Month, we share "Heroes of Abolition and Suffrage" from our podcast library. This powerful conversation brings together descendants of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Frederick Douglass, and Booker T. Washington. Coline Jenkins and Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. continue the work of their three significant ancestors, honoring their leg

At a time when Americans seem more divided than ever, Yuval Levin offers a compelling argument for how we can rebuild a shared national identity. Levin, the director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, joined the O’Connor Institute to discuss his latest book, American Covenant, which examines the Constitutional foundations of Amer

We are pleased to share this conversation with Dr. Carla Hayden of the Library of Congress led by moderator Chevy Humphrey, CEO of the Museum of Science and Industry, originally recorded in 2021. In it, she discusses the Library of Congress's significant history and the information available at the country's most extensive library. Specifically, she spotlights crucial pieces of Afr

The story is the same in many places: citizens aren't currently wild about their leaders. As John A. Burtka IV writes in the introduction to Gateway to Statesmanship, the "examples of elite failures are so ubiquitous that there is no reason to chronicle them all here." Better, Burtka argues, to turn to history to "rediscover the time-tested principles of leadership." Listen to or w

December 6 marks the anniversary of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in America in 1865. In this podcast, we look at the paradox of enslavement and our forefathers' emphasis on liberty and equality. In this unique conversation, hear from a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, who is now the Monticello Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer, speaki

Ambassador Eizenstat joined the O'Connor Institute to discuss his latest book, The Art of Diplomacy, which in one readable volume covers every major contemporary international agreement, from the treaty to end the Vietnam War to the Kyoto Protocols and the Iranian Nuclear Accord, and has earned glowing reviews from people as different in outlook as Tony Blair and Henry Kissinger. D

Today, we share a conversation that looks at the impact of stereotypes, how they affect us, and what we can do to limit their adverse effects. This discussion is led by Stanford Professor Dr. Claude M. Steele, an expert on social psychology, and initially took place as part of our Constitution Series Webcasts focusing on Equality and Justice for All. While this is a challenging top

As students return to classrooms across the country this fall, we are resharing important conversations on landmark cases related to education. Today, we look at one of the most important Supreme Court decisions of the 20th Century - Brown v. Board of Education. This detailed conversation with Cheryl Brown Henderson, daughter of the late Rev. Oliver L Brown, who brought the suit re