Founding Friends, Founding Foes

Join us on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. for a panel discussion on the civic power and possibilities, as well as potential pitfalls, of finding common cause through exploring the complex relationship between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Panelists include:

• Nicole Brown, Historian, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
• Dr. Kurt Graham, President, Adams Presidential Center
• Kathleen Pate, Director of Education & Public Programs, Clinton Presidential Library & Museum

This discussion will shine a new light on the complicated relationship between the founding fathers during their 51 year-long friendship. Their bond through triumphs and tribulations, allies and rivals, can inspire people today to embrace civil discourse and civic participation. Panelists will also highlight the American Revolution and early United States, revealing how a democracy was born through disagreement, coalition-building, and a commitment to shared values.

This program is held in conjunction with our current temporary exhibit, Making Amends, which explores America’s progress toward a “more perfect union” through the history of all 27 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

The program will be available on the Clinton Center’s YouTube channel the following day.

ASL interpretation is available during our events.

Clinton Presidential Center Presents is a partnership between the Clinton Foundation, Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas, and Clinton Presidential Library.

More about the speakers

Nicole Brown is the Historian at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation’s Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies (ICJS). Brown runs the ICJS fellowship program, shaping the next generation of scholars that study Jefferson, Monticello, and the founding history of the United States and its legacies.

As a doctoral candidate at William & Mary, Brown's research investigates Black literacy in the Atlantic World, highlighting new perspectives on eighteenth-century education and culture through interdisciplinary and descendant-engaged scholarship. She is also the co-editor of The Williamsburg Bray School, 1760–1774: A History Through Records, Reflections, and Rediscovery, an award-winning volume that illuminates the origins and legacy of one of the earliest educational institutions for enslaved and free Black children in America.

Dr. Kurt Graham joined the Adams Presidential Center as its inaugural president on October 15, 2024. Prior to joining the APC, Graham was the Director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum in Independence, Missouri. As director, he oversaw a $30M renovation of the principal museum exhibits and dramatically expanded the Library’s educational and public programming. He has also directed the McCracken Research Library at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, and the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City.

Prior to his work in the public history field, Graham was a member of the history faculty at California State University, San Bernardino, where he taught undergraduate and graduate courses in American political and legal/constitutional history. He has a Ph.D. in American history from Brown University and a B.A. and an M.A. from Brigham Young University in English and American studies, respectively. He is the author of To Bring Law Home: The Federal Judiciary in Early National Rhode Island (Northern Illinois University Press, 2010).

Kathleen Pate previously served as the Education Specialist at the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum from 2002 until 2024. She is responsible for the overall planning and direction of educational and public programs.

Pate designs and delivers programs for pre-K-12th grade students and teachers, coordinates education outreach efforts, and assists with volunteer training. She collaborates on the development and implementation of public programs on a variety of historical and political topics to engage lifelong learners.

Pate was born and reared in Augusta, Georgia. She has a B.A. in sociology and a certificate in women’s studies from the University of Georgia. Pate completed a thesis on the evolution of presidential library site selection to earn her M.A. in public history from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

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