CHAIRMAN’S COUNCIL of the New-York Historical Society

FRIDAY, APRIL 17 SATURDAY, APRIL 182015

NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETYNew York City

WEEKENDHISTORY

T E N T H A N N U A L

with

DANIELLE ALLENUPS Foundation Professor,

School for Advanced Study

FRANCES FITZGERALDAuthor

AGNES HSU-TANGArchaeologist and Documentarian

WALTER ISAACSONPresident and CEO, Aspen Institute

FREDRIK LOGEVALLStephen and Madeline Anbinder

Professor of Histor y,

Cornell University

DAVID MCCULLOUGHAuthor

GIDEON ROSEEditor, Foreign Af fairs

Front Image: Howard Thain (1891-1959), Madison Square, N.Y.C., 1926, oil on canvas (detail), Gift of Mrs. Howard Thain, 1970.39

DAVID E. SANGERChief Washington Correspondent

The New York Times

OSCAR L. TANGFormer President of the Board,

Phillips Academy at Andover

EVAN THOMASAuthor

JAY WINIKHistorian and Author

GENEVIEVE YOUNGEditor

JULIAN ZELIZERMalcolm Stevenson Forbes

Class of 1941 Professor of

Histor y and Public Af fairs,

Princeton University

S P E A K E R S

Photo of David McCullough by William B. McCullough

6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:30 AM

10:15 AM-12:15 PM

12:30 PM

You are cordially invited to join the

CHAIRMAN’S COUNCIL of the New-York Historical Society and attend the

NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY170 Central Park West at Richard Gilder Way

New York City

FRIDAY, APRIL 17Black tie

COCKTAILS in the Patricia D. Klingenstein Librar y

DINNER in Dexter Hall

WELCOME

Louise Mirrer, President & CEO

PRESENTATION of the 2015 New-York Historical Society

American Histor y Book Prize honoring the author of this

year’s best book in the field of American histor y or biography

REMARKS

Pam B. Schafler, Chair of the Board of Trustees

SATURDAY, APRIL 18Business casual

BREAKFAST AND OPENING SESSION

in the Patricia D. Klingenstein Librar y

SPEAKER SESSIONS

LUNCHEON AND CLOSING SESSION

in the Patricia D. Klingenstein Librar y

WEEKENDHISTORY

T E N T H A N N U A L

with

P R O G R A MSATURDAY, APRIL 18

8:30 AM BREAKFAST AND OPENING SESSION

The Wright BrothersIn December 1903, in the Outer Banks of Nor th Carolina, the age of

flight began with the successful launch of the first heavier-than-air

powered machine carr ying a pilot. Drawing on the immense riches of

the Wright Papers, Pulitzer Prize winner DAVID MCCULLOUGH

tells the dramatic stor y of two unknown brothers from Ohio who

changed the course of histor y.

10:15 AMMembers choose one of the following sessions:

The Declarat ion of Independence: A Close Reading

At only 1,337 words, the Declaration of Independence irrevocably

transformed world histor y and governance. Political philosopher

DANIELLE ALLEN, renowned for her work on justice and citizenship,

probes the Declaration’s core tenets of freedom, individualism, and

community, and illuminates its lasting impact and meaning.

Securi ty in America

From ongoing crises in Syria and Iraq to looming questions of border

security here at home, America’s long-term sur vival as a world leader is

contingent upon its ability to build and maintain alliances and confront

tensions both on its own tur f and across the globe. Join New York Times

Chief Washington Correspondent DAVID E. SANGER for the latest

perspectives on U.S. national security.

Understanding Nixon

A clever and commanding statesman who comfor tably held the floor

with the world’s most power ful leaders, Richard Nixon was also prone

to outbursts and indecisiveness. Be in on the conversation as celebrated

historians EVAN THOMAS and JULIAN E. ZELIZER explore the man

behind the legend, from his rise to the nation’s highest of fice to his

dramatic fall.

11:15 AMMembers choose one of the following sessions:

The V ietnam War at 50

Award-winning authors FRANCES FITZGERALD and FREDRIK

LOGEVALL join in conversation with Foreign Af fairs editor GIDEON

ROSE to explore the political, cultural, and social tensions that led to

the escalation of the war in Vietnam, examine why American ef for ts

ultimately failed, and consider the lasting legacy of the conflict

a half-centur y later.

Apri l 1865

On April 15, 1865, a small band of men led by John Wilkes Booth

attempted to over turn the U.S. Government by assassinating President

Abraham Lincoln as well as the Vice President and Secretar y of

State. Hear bestselling author JAY WINIK vividly describe the

events surrounding Lincoln’s assassination and how a few individuals

conspired to keep the Civil War alive.

Chinese American: Exclusion/Inclusion Gal ler y Talk

Join archaeologist and UNESCO adviser AGNES HSU-TANG,

financier and philanthropist OSCAR TANG, and editor GENEVIEVE

YOUNG for a conversation and insider tour of Chinese American:

Exclusion/Inclusion. Closing on April 19, this riveting N-YHS show

chronicles the Chinese experience in America from the early days of

the China trade to the present.

12:30 PM LUNCHEON AND CLOSING SESSION

The Innovators

From the origins of computer programming in the 1840’s to the recent

release of the iPhone 6, technology is per vasive in our lives. Historian

WALTER ISAACSON, author of The Innovators, presents the

historical saga of the digital revolution and the creative visionaries who

contributed individually and collaboratively to the technological culture

we live in today.

2015 CHAIRMAN’S COUNCIL

H O N O R A R Y C O - C H A I R S

Akhil Reed Amar

Joyce Appleby

Debby Applegate

Sven Becker t

Thomas Bender

David Blight

Douglas Brinkley

Ric Burns

David Cannadine

Rober t A. Caro

Ron Chernow

Andrew Delbanco

Eric Foner

Henr y Louis Gates, Jr.

Doris Kearns Goodwin

John Steele Gordon

Harold Holzer

Daniel Walker Howe

Kenneth T. Jackson

Edward P. Jones

David Kennedy

Jill Lepore

John Maurer

Steven Mintz

David Nasaw

Andrew Rober ts

Cokie Rober ts

Simon Schama

Stacy Schif f

Benno C. Schmidt

Russell Shor to

Jean Edward Smith

Lesley Stahl

Rober t A.M. Stern

Richard Sylla

Sean Wilentz

Jay Winik

Gordon Wood