June 18, 2026
SIU’s Paul Simon Institute hosts Pulitzer Prize-winning historian to assess U.S. presidency
CARBONDALE, Ill. — On the eve of the nation’s 250th anniversary, David Kennedy, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, will discuss the United States and the American presidency next week with Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.
Kennedy, a professor emeritus of history at Stanford University, will join John Shaw, institute director, for a virtual discussion on Tuesday, June 23.
The free, public discussion via Zoom begins at noon, Central; registration at paulsimoninstitute.org/events is required to view the conversation. The event is part of the institute’s “Understanding Our New World” discussion series.
Kennedy won the Pulitzer Prize in history in 1999 for “Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War,” a critically acclaimed account of the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt and his times.
“Professor Kennedy is one of the most respected historians in the United States,” Shaw said. “He is a rigorous scholar and a superb writer. His books are deeply informative and remarkably interesting. He bridges the worlds of academic and popular history better than any other historian today. His writings inform, enlighten, and entertain.”
Kennedy is also the author of other highly regarded books including “Over Here: The First World War and American Society,” which was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and “Birth Control in America: The Career of Margaret Sanger,” which won a Bancroft Prize. He collaborated with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on a popular PBS documentary, “American Creed,” that has inspired a spirited conversation about American ideals and identity.
Kennedy visited Carbondale in September 2019 to deliver the Morton-Kenney Public Affairs Lecture and was the first guest in the institute’s “Understanding Our New World” series in spring 2020.
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Kennedy on the registration form or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.
More information, including a list of the institute’s upcoming events and past speakers and events, is available at paulsimoninstitute.siu.edu.