Stories - Life Stories
Stories 2506 Interviews 119
Our stories are about how people make sense of their own lives, how they can shed light on our lives, and how we are connected to one another, to history, and to the larger human story.
Evolution of presidential power from the founding era to today
The 13th Amendment and the Republican emancipation platform in 1864
Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society and its vision of expanding freedom
Legal legacy of the Korematsu decision and risks of executive deference
Obama administration's handling of the Shirley Sherrod controversy
The abolition of the caliphate and its influence on Islamist politics
Lincoln's moral opposition to slavery and belief in American democracy's global role
Eisenhower's ambivalence and the creation of NASA and the Mercury 7 program
The gradual expansion of suffrage as a constitutional achievement over time
George W. Bush's presidency, legitimacy, and democracy in the age of terror
“I consider mentoring a process of showing your scars instead of your successes. I've always been awed by how many people resonate when I tell the story of my life. Often it's the first time they've ever told anyone their own story.”
Loretta Ross
Supreme Court's McCleskey ruling and the acceptance of racial disparities in sentencing
Kennedy's charm and the Camelot mythology as obstacles to democratic engagement
Early Islamic political authority and the Sunni-Shia split over succession
Lincoln's self-education and evolution as commander in chief
Impossible expectations placed on the presidency and the rarity of great leaders
Connection with congresswoman Martha Griffiths and the fight against airline discrimination
Lincoln's decision to resupply Fort Sumter and provoke Confederate action
The thread of American exceptionalism across presidencies from Monroe to Bush
Gerald Ford's unique path to the presidency without a national election
Reflections on the electoral college and potential reforms to the presidency
