Meet the Author | Mark Peterson

Join historian and Yale professor Mark Peterson for a discussion of his new book, The Making and Breaking of the American Constitution, available in March. Marking the 250th anniversary of American independence, Peterson’s riveting narrative paints an arresting picture of a dynamic republic whose frame of government has changed enormously to meet the challenges of the modern age, but whose written Constitution has changed very little. This widening disconnect, he argues, threatens the very existence of our democracy.

Pequot Library is a proud affiliate of America 250 | Connecticut Commission, the statewide initiative commemorating the Semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence—on July 4, 2026. In the lead-up to this historic milestone, we’ve planned a series of programs that highlight diverse American voices and perspectives, including this program and our current exhibition, Print Revolution: Pamphlets, Persuasion, and the Pathway to Independence.