Potential attendees considering their submissions should know that the USIH conference committee understands intellectual history in an expansive fashion, and welcomes submissions from a wide range of fields and approaches. I would also draw the attention of those considering a submission to the fantastic participants who have already signed on for the conference's special events.

Giving the keynote address will be Pauline Maier, the author of "American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence" and, more recently, "Ratification: The People Debate the Constitution."

I am very excited about our two plenary roundtables this year. One (chaired by me) will be on the subject of American exceptionalism. The panelists will be:

Beth Bailey, author of "America's Army: Making the All-Volunteer Force and Sex in the Heartland," and co-author of "The First Strange Place: The Alchemy of Race and Sex in World War II Hawaii"; Eric Foner, winner of this year's Pulitzer and Bancroft Prizes for "The Fiery Trial: Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery"; Michael Kazin, author of "A Godly Hero: The Life of William Jennings Bryan, The Populist Persuasion", and the forthcoming "American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation"; and Rogers Smith, author of "Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U.S. History" and "Stories of Peoplehood: The Politics and Morals of Political Membership."

The other plenary panel will consider the topic of the women's intellectual tradition in the United States. The lineup for that one has not yet been finalized, but Louise Knight, author of "Citizen: Jane Addams and the Struggle for Democracy"and "Jane Addams: Spirit in Action," has agreed to chair and assemble the panel.