Jonathan Turley - Rage and the Republic
The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution
Professor Jonathan Turley will be discussing his Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution. The New York Times bestseller has been described by former NPR editor Uri Berliner as “Jonathan Turley's birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence... A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project."
Turley explores the unique elements of the American Revolution in comparison to its counterpart in France. He discusses why one became the world’s oldest democracy and the other became the infamous “Terror.” That story is told with vivid stories of the personalities of the age, including Thomas Paine’s, who was one of two leading figures in both revolutions (the other being Lafayette).
Turley takes that rich history and asks whether the American Republic can survive the 21st Century. He addresses the massive economic changes unfolding globally due to the combination of robotics and artificial intelligence. These changes will require the nation to recommit to what Turley calls a “liberty-enhancing economy.” America’s foundations in both enlightenment and free market theories offers a roadmap for not just surviving but thriving in the 21st Century. It is the next chapter of what Turley calls the “unfinished story of the American Revolution.”
Details on Attending
Ford Presidential Museum
303 Pearl St NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Thursday, October 1, 2026
Private Friends of Ford Reception: 5:30 p.m. (For those with Lieutenant Commander membership level and above.)
Program: 6:30 p.m.
Book signing to follow the event.
Ford Presidential Library
1000 Beal Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Program: 6:30 p.m.
Program Supporters
In partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum and the Secchia Family Foundation, the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation was proud to bring Jonathan Turley to Grand Rapids.
Watch the Livestream
Professor JONATHAN TURLEY is one of the nation’s most prominent legal scholars. In 1998, he was given the prestigious Shapiro Chair for Public Interest Law, the youngest chaired professor in the university’s history.
Turley has served as counsel in some of the most notable cases, including the representation of whistleblowers, military personnel, former cabinet members, judges, members of Congress, and the United States House of Representatives.
Professor Turley has testified over 100 times before the House and Senate, including as an expert witness in the impeachment hearings of both President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. In 2024, he was featured by the Washingtonian as one of the most influential persons in public policy.
Professor Turley was called the “dean of legal analysts” by the Washington Post. He is a national columnist and has worked as a legal analyst for NBC, CBS, BBC, and Fox News.
In addition to dozens of legal publications, he is the author of the best-selling The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage, and his latest best-seller, Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution debuted as #2 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Reviews of “Rage and the Republic”
“A masterpiece… a moving account on the very essence of liberty that should be on the shelf of every American."
– Mark Levin, host of Life, Liberty & Levin and #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Those dueling impulses, rage and reason, are the focus of “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution” by Jonathan Turley, a law professor at George Washington University. The question of democratic rage is timeless, and Mr. Turley’s historical narrative is sweeping—from the trial of Socrates to the rhetoric of Huey Long.” Wall Street Journal Book Review (Adam J. White).
"A fluent take on history and politics from a thoughtful contrarian."
– Kirkus Reviews
“Turley demonstrates a discomforting, and painfully timely, truth: The phrase “democratic despotism” is not an oxymoron.”
– George F. Will, Pulitzer Prize winner and Washington Post columnist
“Rage and the Republic is Jonathan Turley's birthday gift to America to mark its 250 years of independence... A wise guide to avoid wrecking the American project."
– Uri Berliner, contributing editor, Free Press and former senior business editor at National Public Radio
