Renowned political historian Dr. Jay Cost will return to the Jefferson Educational Society (JES) this summer for a week-long residency exploring the American Founding through the eyes of those who lived it.

Titled The Founding in Perspective: A Week-in-Residency Series Examining the American Founding from the Perspective of Those Who Lived Through It, the Brock Institute for Mega Issues Education program will run August 11–15 at JES.

“After last year’s success with Dr. Robert Garland’s week-long residency, we’re excited to build on that format by welcoming both Dr. Garland and Dr. Cost this summer,” said Dr. Ferki Ferati, JES President. “Dr. Cost is one of the most insightful voices on the Founders, and his return promises an enriching experience for those interested in the roots of American democracy.”

The series will focus on the post-Revolutionary period, from the 1783 peace treaty with Great Britain to the election of 1800, and will highlight the diverging views of key figures like George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.

Rather than presenting a unified narrative, Dr. Cost will explore how these leaders' differing interpretations of liberty, governance, and nationhood shaped, and clashed, with each other, revealing a founding era full of tension and transformation.

Dr. Cost is the Gerald R. Ford Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a visiting scholar at Grove City College.

He is the author of Democracy or Republic?, James Madison: America’s First Politician, and The Price of Greatness, all of which will be available during the residency.

For reservations or more information about JES programs and memberships, visit JESErie.org or call 814-459-8000.