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These Truths Discussion Series: Part 3— “The State”

September 24 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
a shelf of history books

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. Sessions will be facilitated by Dr. Andrew Darien, Associate Dean for the College of Arts & Sciences at Salem State University.

The Athenaeum also has compiled a list of additional recommended readings on American history and ideals to supplement the discussion. 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 sign. Send us your suggestions for the list.

Has America lived up to its founding “truths”? Let’s read and find out together!

 

Part 3 — The State (1866–1945)

September 24 at 7:00 p.m.

Chapters 9–12:

  1. Of Citizens, Persons, and People(pp. 311–360)
  2. Efficiency and the Masses(pp. 361–420)
  3. A Constitution of the Air(pp. 421–471)
  4. The Brutality of Modernity(pp. 472–520)

Here the book looks at how government expanded in response to industrialization, immigration, inequality, and crisis. Through the Progressive Era, the Great Depression, and World Wars, Lepore shows how government structures and civic expectations shifted, helping citizens think about the role of public institutions in everyday life.

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.

Free to all. Registration recommended.

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Tickets are refundable if canceled up to 24 hours before the event.

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