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We the People: America at 250

E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues 2026-2027

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Lecture Archive Cooper Conversations

The E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, Lied Center for Performing Arts, and University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It was established in 1988 with the purpose of bringing a diversity of viewpoints on international and public policy issues to the university and people of Nebraska to promote understanding and encourage debate.

The 2026-2027 season will reflect on the ordinary and extraordinary individuals, ideals, and global forces shaping the first 250 years of the American Experiment.

The season is generously co-sponsored by the University of Nebraska College of Law and the Nebraska State Historical Society Foundation.

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Upcoming

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A Conversation with Sarah M.S. Pearsall

A World History of the American Revolution
Sheldon Museum of Art

With Sheldon Museum of Art and the Department of History

Professor of History at Johns Hopkins University and author of Freedom Round the Globe.

Moderated by Dr. Margaret Jacobs, Charles Mach Professor of History. Reception and book signing to follow.

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A Lecture by Darius Wallace

Frederick Douglass’s Expanding Notions of Freedom
Johnny Carson Theater at Lied Center

Historical interpreter, educator, and actor praised for his portrayal of abolitionist Frederick Douglass

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A Lecture by Rebecca Nagle

First America: How Indigenous Nations Shaped U.S. Democracy
Swanson Auditorium, Nebraska Union

With Vision Maker Media and the Center for Great Plains Studies

Award winning journalist, Cherokee Nation citizen, and author of By the Fire We Carry

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A Storytelling Show with Greg Jackson

The Unlikely Union: What 250 Years of American History Can Teach Us
Lied Center for Performing Arts

With Civic Nebraska

Host of History That Doesn't Suck! podcast and author of Been There, Done That: How Our History Shows What We Can Overcome

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A Conversation with Steve Inskeep

People, Power, and America’s Stories
Lied Center for Performing Arts

With Nebraska Public Media and the College of Journalism and Mass Communications

Host of NPR’s Morning Edition and Up First and author of Differ We Must: How Lincoln Succeeded in a Divided America