For the Ages: A History Podcast
Explore the rich and complex history of the United States and beyond. Produced by The New York Historical, host David M. Rubenstein engages the nation’s foremost historians and creative thinkers on a wide range of topics, including presidential biography, the nation’s founding, and the people who have shaped the American story. Learn more at nyhistory.org.
For the Ages: A History Podcast
The Idea of America
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Two hundred and fifty years after the country’s founding, political polarities, seismic wealth disparity, and challenges to free speech and artistic expression all seem to paint a picture of an America that is unsure of the identity by which it has long been defined. In this conversation with David M. Rubenstein, Darren Walker, drawing on his experience throughout his lifelong career in philanthropy and a decade of leading the Ford Foundation, reflects on America’s ongoing struggles with inequality, democracy, and the principles that bind society.
Recorded on January 27, 2026