American history as the country turns 250 years old

By Evan Dawson,

Published March 26, 2026 at 5:33 PM EDT

Four people wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a woman front left has long blonde hair and is wearing a black shirt, black pants and black shoes; a man front right has very short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a blue button-down shirt, blue jeans and brown shoes; a man back left has short grey hair and is wearing glasses and a brown plaid button-down shirt; a young man back right has short brown hair and is wearing a white polo shirt with blue stripes on the sleeves.

1 of 2 — (foreground) Beth Thomas, (background) Michael Oberg and Liam DeBono with host Evan Dawson on "Connections"

(foreground) Beth Thomas, (background) Michael Oberg and Liam DeBono with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Thursday, March 26, 2026

Gary Pudup / WXXI News

A young woman with long brown hair is wearing glasses, a black jacket, white shirt and blue lanyard while sitting in a car.

2 of 2 — Myah LaFave

Myah LaFave

Provided

Only 18% of four-year colleges require a foundational course in U.S. history or government. That could help explain why American students fare so poorly on history exams.

With the country turning 250 years old, Geneseo history professor Michael Oberg is helping launch a new project: it pairs college students with historians to study both New York State history and the meaning of American independence.

Can it work? More ominously, what are the costs of a poorly educated society? We discuss it.

Our guests:

Michael Oberg, Ph.D., distinguished professor in the Department of History at SUNY Geneseo
Beth Thomas, historian for the town of Bristol
Myah LaFave, recipient of the 2026 Robert Gardiner Fellowship
Liam DeBono, undergraduate at SUNY Geneseo and recipient of the 2024 Robert Gardiner Fellowship