2025 Pulitzer Prize–Winning History
Online Author Event
Native Nations: A Millennium in North America with Kathleen DuVal
Wednesday, October 8, 6–7 p.m. (ET)
Moderator: Historian Nicole Eustace, New York University
Cost: Free
Presented in partnership with Boston Public Library and GBH Forum Network
“An essential American history” – The Wall Street Journal
Long before the colonization of North America, Indigenous Americans built diverse civilizations. North American cities rivaled urban centers around the world in size. Following a period of climate change and instability, numerous smaller nations emerged with egalitarian government structures, diplomacy, and complex economies. When Europeans showed up in the sixteenth century, they encountered societies they did not understand. For centuries after, Indigenous people used the Europeans in pursuit of their own interests: the Mohawks closely controlled trade with the Dutch and influenced global markets; the Quapaws manipulated French colonists; and, even after the American Revolution, Indigenous people commanded much of the continent’s land and resources.
An important addition to the growing tradition of North American history centered on Indigenous nations, Native Nations shows how the sovereignty and influence of Native peoples remained a constant. Don’t miss hearing from author Kathleen DuVal and her discussion with fellow historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Nicole Eustace in the days before Indigenous People’s Day.Learn More and Register
Kathleen DuVal is a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian. She is professor of history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she teaches early American and American Indian history. Her previous work includes Independence Lost, which was a finalist for the George Washington Prize, and The Native Ground: Indians and Colonists in the Heart of the Continent. She is a coauthor of Give Me Liberty! and coeditor of Interpreting a Continent: Voices from Colonial America.
Nicole Eustace is Julius Silver Family Professor of History at New York University, where she directs the NYU Atlantic History Workshop. Her most recent book, Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indi genous Justice in Early America, won the Pulitzer Prize in History and the Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians. It was a finalist for the National Book Award and was named Best Book the Year by TIME, Smithsonian, Boston Globe, and Kirkus Reviews. She is also the author of 1812: War and the Passions of Patriotism and Passion is the Gale: Emotion, Power, and the Coming of the American Revolution. She is currently a Guggenheim fellow.
Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America
Online Author Event
Lineage: Genealogy and the Power of Connection in Early America with Author Karin Wulf
Wednesday, October 15, 6–7:15 p.m. (ET)
Moderator: Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Harvard University
Cost: Tickets starting at $15
Presented in partnership with Massachusetts Historical Society
Genealogy as a foundational element of America’s history—its vital role from the colonial era through the birth of the nation—is the topic of this book talk featuring historian-author Karin Wulf and Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich.Learn More and Register
New Essays and Insight from David McCullough: History Matters
Hybrid Author Event
Dorie Lawson, David McCullough’s Daughter, Discusses History Matters
In Conversation with Ryan J. Woods, President & CEO, American Ancestors
Thursday, October 23, 5–6:15 p.m. (ET)
Cost: Tickets starting at $15
Live Broadcast from American Ancestors Headquarters, 97 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Presented in partnership with Boston Book Festival and GBH Forum Network
Don’t miss this special evening featuring History Matters, a posthumously published collection of David McCullough’s essays, tributes, interviews, and other personal expressions. Each of them is vintage McCullough: insightful and inspirational.Learn More and Register
Irish American History
Online Author Event
Green & Blue: Irish Americans in the Union Military, 1861–1865 with Author Damian Shiels
Moderated by Melanie McComb, Senior Genealogist, American Ancestors
Tuesday, November 5, 2–3:15 p.m. (ET)
Cost: Tickets starting at $15
Historian Damian Shiels, an expert on Irish American history and the US Civil War, will bring to life the experience of Irish American soldiers fighting for the Union. Don’t miss his in-depth presentation and conversation with “The “Shamrock Genealogist,” Melanie McComb.Learn More and Register
Watch past author events open to the public in the American Inspiration video archive.
American Ancestors, 97 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116, 1-888-296-3447
The Writings of Felina Silver 