Coming to you live this week from the American Political History conference at Purdue University, it’s our season finale. Will and Siva speak with three historians — Liette Gidlow, Derek Musgrove and Thomas Zimmer — about the past, present and future of government by the people. Our guests ponder the Jan. 6 hearings, D.C. statehood, social mobilization and the structural problems of the Constitution itself. Did America’s founders sign democracy’s death warrant at its birth?

This week in 1893... It was a man’s world at the University of Virginia, but times were changing. Caroline Preston Davis didn’t like the status quo and was determined to make her presence known as an accomplished math scholar.

This week in 1950... Luther Porter Jackson's love for asking questions led him to become one of the most important scholars of African American history in Virginia. As a teacher, Jackson became aware of the racial stereotypes and Lost Cause narratives permeating the South at the time. In response, he became determined to unearth the stories of Black America.

This week in 1699... Jamestown had been the seat of power since its founding in 1607, but for the House of Burgesses, the smoldering and disease ridden town had become simply unbearable. Seeking a safer, healthier place to govern their budding nation, they set up shop temporarily at Middle Plantation. The end result was the birth of Williamsburg, Virginia.

This week in 1834... Catherine was a free Black woman who owned a bit of land near the University. One evening some rowdy students smashed flower pots and tried to break into her home. At the time, the faculty of the University turned a blind eye towards the incident, but today, Foster's existence is forever memorialized on Grounds.

This week in 1961... You’ve probably seen the famous photograph of Martin Luther King, Jr. at the cell bars in the Birmingham jail. But who was the man behind the camera? He was one of the most influential leaders of the Civil Rights movement and an avid advocate for the inclusion of Black history in public school curriculum.

This week in 1912... Floyd Allen was the head of a clannish mountain family in Carroll County who had a reputation for moonshining, feuding, and violence. When the time finally came for Floyd to face his history of misdemeanors in court, the Allen family was determined to not go down without a fight.

This week in 1864... She was the siren of the Shenandoah. The Cleopatra of the Secession. Teenager Belle Boyd's passion for the cause led her to become an informal spy for the Confederacy during the Civil War. As a informant, Belle employed her innocent looks and girlish charms, slipping out of Union hands time and time again.

This week in 1869... After emancipation, James Holmes rose to soaring new heights. As a politician, he advocated for free public schools and the right to vote for African American men. But these radical reforms prompted ridicule from white conservatives back in his hometown of Charlotte County. Holmes began to fear for his life.

This week in 1893... Sarah Garland Boyd Jones grew up among Richmond's Black elite. As a teacher, she could not ignore the medical disparities in the Black community as compared to the plethora of resources and care offered to the white population. She packed her bags, moved to Washington, D.C., and decided to make a change.