This year, America celebrates 250 years of independence; 250 years of Enlightenment ideals; 250 years of the rhetoric of republican virtue and government, even if our history is more complicated than that. This panel featuring Salve scholars from the Departments of History and Political Science, as well as the University’s Nationhood Lab will examine the history of America’s founding, the legacy of events 250 years ago, and the challenges to those enduring ideals, today.