History of the American West and Nationalism
Press Release · Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Washington, DC

Noontime author talks and book signings at the National Archives in November include the story of the settling of the American West with Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West and the evolution of American nationalism in Give Me Liberty: A History of America’s Exceptional Idea.

These programs are free and open to the public and will be held at noon in the William G. McGowan Theater of the National Archives Museum in Washington, DC. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue at Seventh Street, NW. Metro accessible on the Yellow and Green lines, Archives/Navy Memorial/Penn Quarter station. Reservations are recommended and can be made online. For those without reservations, seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. The theater doors will open 45 minutes prior to the start of the program. Late seating will not be permitted 20 minutes after the program begins.

Dreams of El Dorado: A History of the American West 
Friday, November 1
Reserve a seat; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
In Dreams of El Dorado, H. W. Brands tells the thrilling, panoramic story of the settling of the American West. He takes us from John Jacob Astor’s fur trading outpost in Oregon to the Texas Revolution, from the California gold rush to the Oklahoma land rush. He shows how the migrants’ dreams drove them to feats of courage and perseverance and how those same dreams drove them to outrageous acts of violence against indigenous peoples and one another. The West was where riches would reward the miner's persistence, the cattleman's courage, and the railroad man’s enterprise. 

Give Me Liberty: A History of America’s Exceptional Idea
Tuesday, November 12
Reserve a seat; watch the live stream on our YouTube Channel
In Give Me Liberty, award-winning historian Richard Brookhiser offers up an inspiring story of American nationalism as it has evolved over 400 years. He examines America’s history through 12 documents that made the United States a new country in a new world: a free country. We are what we are because of them; we stay true to what we are by staying true to them.