The US at 250
Global 250 Lecture Series
As part of a yearlong celebration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, the Kinder Institute, along with our partners at the State Historical Society of Missouri, will host a series of lectures that reflect on this national milestone from a global perspective. The Global 250 lecture series will kick off on October 14 at 5pm at the State Historical Society of Missouri, with remarks by former South African Constitutional Court Judge Albie Saches, before resuming in January and continuing through the Spring 2026 semester with at least one lecture per month, wrapping up with Kinder Institute Senior Fellow Lawrence Goldman delivering comments on the semiquincentennial from the perspective of the UK.
RSVP links and details regarding time and place are provided in the brief snapshots below and visit our “Events” page for more detailed descriptions of the talks once the Spring 2026 semester rolls around.
10/14: "THE US AT 250 FROM SOUTH AFRICA," WITH ALBIE SACHS
Providing a preview of what’s to come in spring, prominent lawyer and anti-Apartheid activist Albie Sachs visited Columbia on October 14 to kick off the series with a talk on “America at 250: A View from South Africa.” Those who were unable to attend, or who want to revisit the lecture, can do so here.
SPRING 2026 SPEAKERS
While we’re still collecting abstracts from speakers, we’ve finalized the where and when for our Spring Global 250 Lecture Series, which people can start RSVPing for today. All the lectures below will be held on Fridays at 5pm at the Tiger Hotel, save for Lawrence Goldman’s capstone for the series, which will be held on Tuesday, May 12 (also at 5pm at the Tiger). We’ll have individual posts with more details on each lecture prior to the start of the Spring 2026 semester.
January 30, “America at 250: A View from Australia, France, and Italy,” with Tamson Pietsch, Director of the Australian Centre for Public History at University of Technology Sydney, and Mario Del Pero, professor at the Centre for History at Paris’ SciencesPo (RSVP Here)
February 13, “America at 250: A View from Mexico,” with Erika Pani, Research Professor at Centro de Estudios Históricos, El Colegio de México (RSVP Here)
February 20, “America at 250: A View from Iceland,” with Eliza Reid, author of Secret of the Sprakkar: Iceland’s Extraordinary Woman and How They Are Changing the World (RSVP Here)
March 13, “America at 250: A View from Japan,” with Sayuri Shimizu, Dunlevie Family Chair in History at Rice University (RSVP Here)
April 10, “America at 250: A View from Korea,” with Brandon Park, Associate Professor at Chung-Ang University in Seoul (RSVP Here)
April 17, “America at 250: A View from Home,” with Kinder Institute Director and Rich & Nancy Kinder Chair of Constitutional Democracy Jay Sexton (RSVP Here)
May 12, “America at 250: A View from the United Kington,” with Lawrence Goldman, Kinder Institute Senior Fellow and St. Peter’s College (Oxford) Emeritus Fellow in History (RSVP Here)