In the aftermath of WWI, African-Americans embraced the philosophy of resistance to white supremacy. When racial strife erupted in the streets of cities across the nation, Black veterans and their supporters organized armed resistance and defended their homes, businesses and lives. They fought back against efforts to impose second class citizenship on them after so many had fought for the country. Blacks also resisted in the courts. This seminar will use primary sources to illustrate the multiple challenges African Americans…

This seminar offers an overview of the debates at the Constitutional Convention. Here we will examine the purposes of the American political order, the defects of the Articles of Confederation, and the debates over the reform of the Confederation government. In our study of these debates, we will attempt to understand the interests and principles that divided the members of the Convention and how they arrived at a compromise that defined the Constitution of 1787. This program will be conducted…

The decade that preceded Abraham Lincoln’s presidential election and the onset of secession and civil war saw an America increasingly divided over the future of slavery in the United States. The readings for this seminar present a diversity of opinions regarding that division, and how best to resolve what Harry V. Jaffa called “the crisis of the house divided.” This program will be conducted as a Socratic discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings (found here), and with…

The Early Republic and Antebellum eras experienced tremendous growth and change in American society. This seminar explores the many movements that rise: abolition, temperance, social reform, women’s rights and the Second Great Awakening. This program will be conducted as a Socratic discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings (found here), and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of lecturing or presenting. Registrants, therefore, are highly encouraged to read all the documents in advance and come ready…

Liberty and Equality are powerful words in American discourse. How have they been interpreted throughout American history? Are liberty and equality in tension with each other or are they compatible with each other? This seminar explores three different views in American history and thought about the relationship between liberty and equality. This program will be conducted as a Socratic discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings (found here), and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the conversation, instead of…

Great fortunes were made in the late 19th Century and with this growth of industrialism came a desire to expand markets. How did nationalism inform the pro-imperialist arguments of Theodore Roosevelt? Were these arguments consistent with American principles? What were the arguments against imperialism and protectionism? This seminar will analyze these questions and consider the policies of Theodore Roosevelt. This program will be conducted as a Socratic discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings (found here), and with…

The Civil Rights Movement in America has endured a difficult and tumultuous path. The original Constitution did not protect the civil and political rights of African Americans. After the Emancipation Proclamation ended the institution of slavery, three constitutional amendments were ratified - intending to guarantee freedoms, equality and civil rights for all men, however it would take many generations of hardships and the intervention of federal courts before significant progress was achieved. This seminar addresses the complicated road endured by…