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Author Talk: The Flag Was Still There

A History of the American Experiment in Five Anniversaries

America is the rare country that was founded on an idea, and it was a truly radical idea for its time: the belief that the people of a country could govern themselves.

ABOUT THE BOOK:

The Flag Was Still There offers a unique new narrative of the American Experiment. By focusing on five remarkable years marked by both progress and backlash—1776, 1826, 1876, 1926, and 1976—and with an eye to America’s 250th birthday, David McKean and M. Todd Bennett explore how the United States has sustained its founding idea. The centennial saw a country still struggling to confront the Civil War’s legacy, culminating in the birth of the Jim Crow era. In 1926, virulent nativism was at a peak, and a reascendant Ku Klux Klan marched on Washington. The bicentennial was marked by economic turmoil, post-Watergate political malaise, and the still-fresh wounds of the Vietnam War. 

America 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’s promise even in the face of staunch resistance—a determination that continues to this day.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS:

With a career spanning decades in both diplomacy and academia, McKean brings unique insights to his historical narratives. His books have been praised for their meticulous research, compelling storytelling, and fresh perspectives on well-known historical events.

McKean 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 nuanced understanding of political power and decision-making.

Todd Bennett specializes in modern American history, the history of American foreign relations, and U.S. intelligence. He is the author of three books, including the widely noted 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 Transparency (Columbia University Press, 2023).

Prof. Bennett has contributed to the Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Politico, Diplomatic History, the Journal of American 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 appeared 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 Federal Government’s 2023 Member Award, given for excellence in scholarship on the history of the federal government.

Formerly a supervisory historian at the U.S. Department of State, where he edited the Foreign Relations of the United States series, the official documentary record of U.S. foreign policy, Bennett taught previously at George Washington University, the Corcoran College of Art and Design, and the University of Nevada–Reno.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR:

Spencer Bryant is a host at WAMU. Spencer began his career behind a microphone in the voice acting industry before moving into public radio at WYPR in Baltimore, where he was an on-air host for All Things Considered and Weekend Edition as well as a senior producer for several award-winning productions. In addition to his work at WAMU, Spencer is a licensed historical guide in the Washington, D.C., region, including Arlington National Cemetery. Born and raised in Waldorf, Maryland, Spencer is a graduate of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, where he studied journalism and history. When he’s not behind the microphone, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing with his two dogs and indulging his favorite pastime as a rare book collector.

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