ABOUT THE BOOK:
\nT he Flag Was Still There \;offers a unique new narrative of the America n Experiment. By focusing on five remarkable years marked by both progress and backlash&mdash\;1776\, 1826\, 1876\, 1926\, and 1976&mdash\;and with an eye to America&rsquo\;s 250th birthday\, David McKean and M. Todd Benne tt explore how the United States has sustained its founding idea. The cent ennial saw a country still struggling to confront the Civil War&rsquo\;s l egacy\, culminating in the birth of the Jim Crow era. In 1926\, virulent n ativism was at a peak\, and a reascendant Ku Klux Klan marched on Washingt on. The bicentennial was marked by economic turmoil\, post-Watergate polit ical malaise\, and the still-fresh wounds of the Vietnam War. \;
\nAmerica has yet to fully realize its founding principles. But as \; The Flag Was Still There \;reminds us\, Americans have always striven to defend\, renew\, and extend the nation&rsquo\;s promise even in the fac e of staunch resistance&mdash\;a determination that continues to this day.
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\nABOUT THE AUTHORS:
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With a career spanning decades in both di plomacy and academia\, McKean brings unique insights to his historical nar ratives. His books have been praised for their meticulous research\, compe lling storytelling\, and fresh perspectives on well-known historical event s.
\nMcKean has served as U.S. Ambassador to Luxembourg and has held various positions in government and international affairs. His diplomatic experience informs his historical analysis\, providing readers with a nua nced understanding of political power and decision-making.
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Todd Bennett specializes in mode rn American history\, the history of American foreign relations\, and U.S. intelligence. He is the author of three books\, including the widely note d \;The Flag Was Still There: A History of the American Experiment in Five Anniversaries \;(PublicAffairs\, 2026) and the award-winning \;Neither Confirm nor Deny: How the Glomar Mission Shielded the CIA from T ransparency \;(Columbia University Press\, 2023).
\nProf. Bennet t has contributed to the \;Washington Post\, \;Philadelphia Inquir er\, \;Politico\, \;Diplomatic History\, the \;Journal of Amer ican History\, \;Modern American History\, and \;Intelligence and National Security. Quoted by outlets ranging from the Associated Press and the \;New York Post \;to \;Smithsonian Magazine\, he has appe ared on C-SPAN\, PBS\, NPR\, BBC News\, the History Channel\, and Netflix\ , as well as podcasts. The National Endowment for the Humanities named him a Public Scholar in 2017-2018. He won the Society for History in the Fede ral Government&rsquo\;s 2023 Member Award\, given for excellence in schola rship on the history of the federal government.
\nFormerly a supervi sory historian at the U.S. Department of State\, where he edited the \ ;Foreign Relations of the United States \;series\, the official docume ntary record of U.S. foreign policy\, Bennett taught previously at George Washington University\, the Corcoran College of Art and Design\, and the U niversity of Nevada&ndash\;Reno.
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\n< strong>ABOUT THE MODERATOR:
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