Costa lecturer Jefferson Cowie to speak on “Freedom: The Troubled History of an American Ideal”

Freedom is a cherished and contested value, as historian Jefferson Cowie will explore in the 48th Annual Endowed Costa Lecture, titled “Freedom: The Troubled History of an American Ideal.”

Cowie will speak Thursday, Nov. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Walter Hall Rotunda, with a pre-lecture reception beginning at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public and is sponsored by the History Department.

Drawing on his acclaimed book, “Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power,” Cowie will examine the history of debates over freedom and federal authority from the early 19th century to the present. While freedom is often viewed as a foundational principle in building a better nation, efforts by the federal government to expand individual rights and freedoms have also faced opposition from those who understand freedom in different ways, including in relation to land, labor and political power.

“Anybody who’s concerned about contemporary challenges to freedom or the power of the federal government to protect or endanger individual liberty will find Professor Cowie’s lecture timely, informative and provocative,” said Chester Pach, professor of History and chair of the Costa Lecture Committee.

Cowie won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in History for “Freedom’s Dominion.”

He is the John Seigenthaler Chair in American History at Vanderbilt University.

The Costa Lecture was established through the generosity of Helen Coast Hayes, a member of Ohio University’s Class of 1926.