The Society frequently hosts events open to all Princeton students, as well as to faculty and community members.

These include the Society's monthly Senate Debates on topics related to national or campus policy, lectures, discussion dinners with guest speakers, and social events.

[3] Persuasion from William Paterson and other alumni led to president John Witherspoon to permit successor organizations.

[4] Shortly thereafter, the American Whig Society formed on June 24, 1769 by James Madison, Philip M. Freneau, and Hugh Henry Brackenridge; the Cliosophic Society formed on June 8, 1770 by Nathan Perkins, Robert Stewart, John Smith, and Issac Smith.

Before the American Revolution, they provided future leaders like James Madison, Aaron Burr, and others a place to develop these skills.

[11] The societies served the additional purpose of providing social opportunities to students who were under a rigorous and tightly controlled schedule.

Despite their regional differences, both societies voted regularly in support of slavery's continuation and opposition to emancipation.

[2] Competition from eating clubs, sports teams, and other student activities eventually drew members away from the societies.

In 2024, the society voted to adopt a policy of institutional neutrality based on the University of Chicago's Kalven Report and banned considering a speaker's political, ideological, and religious beliefs when inviting them.

[26] The program also features the Princeton Model UN Travel Team, which competes on the regional and international collegiate circuits.

[30] In March 2021, the Society voted to revoke Senator Ted Cruz's award after he attempted to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election based on false claims of voter fraud.

[33] The Council is responsible for confirming events, appointing non-executive officers, and making other important decisions for the Society.

[40] Other prominent members have included Adlai Stevenson II,[34] Ted Cruz,[34] Ralph Nader,[41] and Paul Sarbanes.

[42] In 2018, Whig-Clio co-presidents disinvited conservative University of Pennsylvania law professor Amy Wax after she had made controversial remarks about the quality of her Black students.