The USSC hosted historians Frances Clarke, Michael Green, Michael McDonnell, and Kathryn Schumaker of the University of Sydney and the United States Centre for a lively discussion of Associate Professor Frances Clarke’s award-winning book, Of Age: Boy Soldiers and the American Civil War (Oxford University Press, 2024).

Roughly ten per cent of all soldiers in the American Civil War were underaged. As Clarke and her co-author Rebecca Jo Plant reveal in Of Age, these boys and young men not only contributed vitally to the Union Army, but they also challenged the scope of American federal authority. As boys ran off to join the war effort, their parents often sought to bring them back home. The point at which a father’s authority ended and the United States Government’s began became the subject of intense conflicts over the meanings of childhood, parental rights, and state power in America.

For Of Age, Clarke and Plant received the prestigious 2024 Lincoln Prize, awarded by the Gilder Lehrman Center for the best book on the Civil War, and the Grace Abbott Prize, awarded by the Society for the History of Children and Youth for the best English-language book on the history of children, childhood or youth published in 2023.

In his third run for the White House, Donald Trump’s hold over the Republican Party appears to be stronger than ever. Even his former rivals are rallying around him — and echoing Trump's signalling that he may not respect the election result in November.

But Trump’s selection of a younger running mate in Ohio Senator JD Vance has ignited discussion about the future of the Republican party, the America First movement and American democracy itself. With a resurgent Democratic Party under Vice President Kamala Harris looking to maintain control of the White House for another four years, the world is watching to see whether the Republican Party will remain in lockstep with the former president or begin to move out of Trump's shadow.

Former Republican Congresswoman Barbara Comstock served as the US representative for Virginia’s 10th Congressional district in the House of Representatives between 2015 to 2019, and was named as one of the ‘Top Ten Most Effective Lawmakers’ in the 115th Congress by the Center for Effective Lawmaking. As an ABC News political contributor and regular guest on CNN, PBS and MSNBC, she has spoken extensively on the state and future of the modern Republican Party. She also co-chairs the bipartisan National Council on Election Integrity, which is dedicated to combatting election disinformation.

Can Trumpism outlive Trump himself? What is the future of the Republican Party? How can election integrity be preserved in a time of deep political polarisation? What should Australians be watching for in the lead-up to the election?

To answer these questions, the USSC hosted a live event with former Congresswoman Barbara Comstock, in conversation with Australian Financial Review senior editor Emma Connors.

The 2024 US presidential race now looks dramatically different compared to just three weeks ago. Democrats will head into the party’s national convention with a new name at the top of the ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris, alongside her newly minted running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz. With less than 80 days until Americans head to the polls, all eyes will be on the Democratic National Convention to see how Democrats capitalise on this newfound momentum and navigate the fresh lines of attack being launched by Republican nominee Donald Trump and his allies.

What are the key takeaways from the 2024 Democratic National Convention? What is the Democrats’ strategy for executing the shortest presidential campaign in modern US history? How is the transformed Democratic ticket reshaping the presidential race? What should Australians be watching for in the lead-up to the election?

To answer these questions, USSC hosted a live panel featuring co-host of popular television show “Planet America” on ABC TV Chas Licciardello, USSC Senior Lecturer in American Studies Dr Kathryn Schumaker, and USSC Director of Research Jared Mondschein, in a conversation moderated by USSC Director of Engagement and Impact Mari Koeck.