5:30 PM Reception
6:00 PM Author Event
6:45 PM Q&A Session
7:00 PM Book Signing
Craig Fehrman is a journalist, historian, and New York Times best-selling author. The Wall Street Journal called his first book, Author in Chief, “one of the best books on the American presidency to appear in recent years.” The New York Times called his second book, This Vast Enterprise: A New History of Lewis and Clark, “a page-turner and a fantastic achievement.” Fehrman lives in Indiana with his wife and children.
This event is free and open to the public.
Founding Friends, Founding Foes: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (6:00–7:30 PM)
Drawing on Monticello’s acclaimed Founding Friends, Founding Foes program, the discussion will explore how Adams and Jefferson navigated friendship, fierce political rivalry, and reconciliation while helping establish the foundations of American democracy. As America marks its Semiquincentennial, this conversation invites participants to consider how respectful disagreement, collaboration, and shared civic values remain essential to our constitutional republic.
- Dr. Kurt Graham, President & CEO, Adams Presidential Center
- Dr. Jane Kamensky, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
- Moderated by Dr. Janet Tran, Director, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
Feast of Reason Reception (7:30-8:30 PM)
Following the panel discussion, guests are invited to a public reception featuring Monticello’s Feast of Reason conversation cards—a facilitated experience designed to inspire thoughtful civic dialogue and meaningful conversations.
This event is free to the public.
Southern California K–12 educators are invited to begin the afternoon with an exclusive professional development workshop led by the education teams from the National Archives at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, Monticello, and the Adams Presidential Center.
Participants will:
Explore classroom-ready history and civics resources
Examine primary source materials and instructional strategies
Discuss themes of civic friendship, political disagreement, coalition-building, and constitutional democracy
Connect with fellow educators from across Southern California
This is a free event.
Join us on Saturday, July 4, as we commemorate the 250th Anniversary of American Independence at our 4th of July Celebration! Enjoy bounce houses, crafts, refreshments, balloons, and face painting from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Participate in a special bell ringing as part of the nationwide Let Freedom Ring ceremony at 1 p.m. on the plaza.
Admission to the Bush Library and Museum and the James A. Baker, III Pavilion will be free all day on July 4, from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. We invite you to see the new exhibit, E Pluribus Unum: Celebrating the American Experience, which explores several aspects of our culture that are distinctly American.
Professor Jonathan Turley will be discussing his book “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.” The New York Times bestseller has been described by former NPR editor Uri Berliner as “Jonathan Turley’s birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence… A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project.”
Turley explores the unique elements of the American Revolution in comparison to its counterpart in France. He discusses why one became the world’s oldest democracy and the other became the infamous “Terror.” That story is told with vivid stories of the personalities of the age, including Thomas Paine’s, who was one of two leading figures in both revolutions (the other being Lafayette).
Turley takes that rich history and asks whether the American Republic can survive the 21st Century. He addresses the massive economic changes unfolding globally due to the combination of robotics and artificial intelligence. These changes will require the nation to recommit to what Turley calls a “liberty-enhancing economy.” America’s foundations in both enlightenment and free market theories offers a roadmap for not just surviving but thriving in the 21st Century. It is the next chapter of what Turley calls the “unfinished story of the American Revolution.”
Book signing to follow the event.
Professor Jonathan Turley will be discussing his book “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution.” The New York Times bestseller has been described by former NPR editor Uri Berliner as “Jonathan Turley’s birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence… A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project.”
Turley explores the unique elements of the American Revolution in comparison to its counterpart in France. He discusses why one became the world’s oldest democracy and the other became the infamous “Terror.” That story is told with vivid stories of the personalities of the age, including Thomas Paine’s, who was one of two leading figures in both revolutions (the other being Lafayette).
Turley takes that rich history and asks whether the American Republic can survive the 21st Century. He addresses the massive economic changes unfolding globally due to the combination of robotics and artificial intelligence. These changes will require the nation to recommit to what Turley calls a “liberty-enhancing economy.” America’s foundations in both enlightenment and free market theories offers a roadmap for not just surviving but thriving in the 21st Century. It is the next chapter of what Turley calls the “unfinished story of the American Revolution.”
Book signing to follow the event.
Come celebrate America’s 250th birthday at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum! We will be offering free admission all day with kids activities and crafts, scavenger hunts throughout the museum, and cupcakes. Award-winning author and historian Denise Kiernan will be joining us to discuss her new book, Obstinate Daughters, check out our website for more detail on that.
Please join us as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of 9/11. This in person event includes keynote remarks by U.S. Army Sergeant Neil Duncan (Ret.) and Brian Montgomery, live music and a tribute to our fallen heroes. This event will be held outdoors and is free to attend, however reservations are recommended.
Neil Duncan was 17 during the 9/11 attacks. At 18 he joined the Army as a paratrooper. In 2005, an IED in Afghanistan cost him both legs. Undeterred, he earned a Master’s from Columbia, climbed Kilimanjaro, Denali, and Aconcagua, and now advocates for veterans through awareness and legislation.
Brian Montgomery was President George W. Bush’s Director of Presidential Advance and was with the President in Sarasota, Florida on 9/11. Brian managed the urgent and complex logistics to ensure the President’s safety.
Come help us commemorate the 250th anniversary of the birth of the United States and the signing of the Declaration of Independence! Enjoy live music by the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department Band and country artist Justin Honsinger, along with appearances by Iwo Jima re-enactors and presidential look-alikes. Family-friendly activities include face painting, crafts, lawn games, carnival picnic games, and Presidential Bingo with prizes.
Join us at 12 PM for a special America 250 program featuring keynote speaker, Medal of Honor Recipient General Patrick Henry Brady.
All outdoor activities are free.
