SOPHIA ROOKSBERRY
Staff Writer
For the second day in a row, famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and historian Jeffrey Rosen will engage in conversation together at 10:45 a.m. today on the Amp stage. As a continuation of yesterday’s discussion, today’s morning lecture will focus on the historical contexts surrounding America 250 and ways people can engage intellectually with the national milestone.
“It’s really exciting to be able to talk to [Ken] over two days at Chautauqua,” Rosen said. “I always learn so much from him and from his deep knowledge of history, his understanding of the importance of storytelling, his inspiring, ultimately unifying message for America about the importance of learning about history.”
The sequential days of conversation between the two historians are the latest installment of what Rosen described as “something of a roadshow” he and Burns are doing for the country’s 250th birthday. The two met during Rosen’s 12-year-long tenure running the National Constitution Center and soon after began their podcast, Pursuit: The Founders’ Guide to Happiness. More recently, they have been touring the country together to present conversations and lectures and help audiences gain a holistic understanding of the past two and a half centuries.
“Studying history is complicated,” Rosen said. “It evades black and white lessons, but it’s ultimately a source of optimism, both because you realize what terrible times we’ve been through before and how we have persevered, and also it’s inspiring to learn those stories of Americans … of all backgrounds who have fought for the American idea … There are always more stories to uncover, and that’s why talking with Ken is always so great.”
Although Rosen and Burns prefer to walk onstage together without a script or roadmap for the conversation, the pair plan to supplement their conversation this morning with clips from “The American Revolution,” Burns’ documentary series released in November.
“Documentary films, when at the level of Ken’s, can focus on individuals, bring their stories to life and draw us in and make us want to learn more,” Rosen said. “He’s such a model for that kind of storytelling, but all of his storytelling is rooted in remarkably deep historical knowledge and I think the Chautauqua audience will be really struck and blown away, as I always am, by how deeply he really knows these subjects.”
One of the primary subjects today’s conversation will focus on is the comparison of past American struggles to the modern political and social climate of the country. Although Rosen said the United States is currently more polarized than it has been since the Civil War, there is a depth to the conflict that can be learned when placed within the larger context of history.
“Rather than blaming our fellow citizens or lamenting the great polarization that we’re experiencing today … the founders would have wanted each of us to look to ourselves and to try to make ourselves more perfect,” Rosen said. “In my view, one of the best places to start is by learning about history, and to do that, you have to read. You have to read primary texts, and you cannot get your opinions from social media or from your friends or from your political representatives. You have to decide for yourself.”
Rosen said he hopes his conversations with Burns on the Amp stage will not only educate Chautauquans, but also inspire them to continue pursuing that historical education of their own volition.
“Chautauqua’s original motto was ‘self-improvement through lifelong learning,’ and that is the very definition of the pursuit of happiness according to the founders,” Rosen said. “That was the classical definition of the pursuit of happiness, and to be part of this great community with all of these wonderful lifelong learners who are taking the entire summer to educate themselves every day, to read The Chautauquan Daily, to go to the Amphitheater, to learn about topics they hadn’t known about before, is the essence of virtuous citizenship.”
