The seminar offers an overview of the principles of the American Founding by exploring three historical stages of the American Revolution: colonial resistance in the 1760s and early 1770s, declaring independence, and the creation of new governments. Documents will include the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but also Letter from a Farmer in Pennsylvania, […]
The Civil War was the result of decades of issues, ideas, and actions by individuals and groups, across a less than 100-year-old America. In this seminar, teachers will explore the connection between emerging ideas about slavery and race, and a Supreme Court decision that contributed to the causes of the Civil War. This program will […]
The most serious criticism of the United States Constitution is that it originated as a pro-slavery document. So what position on slavery is taken in the Constitution itself? Does the 3/5s Compromise, the Fugitive Slave clause, the delay on abolishing slave importation, and other provisions, evidence of pro-slavery exposure? Or are they necessary compromises designed […]
In creating what James Madison referred to as a “compound republic,” the framers of the U.S. Constitution established a political system that was bound to generate collisions between state and federal governments. This seminar will analyze disputes about the extent of federal and state authority throughout American history, beginning with debates between Federalists and anti-Federalists […]
This intensive day-long seminar examines the complex and ongoing struggle for women’s equality in the United States. We will explore how women have challenged legal, social, and economic barriers across nearly four centuries, from the constraints of coverture laws in colonial America to more contemporary debates over reproductive rights and workplace equality. This program will […]
From 1900 to late 1920s America had an active eugenics movement. States and supporters argued for the public good; requiring the removal from the population genes thought to cause low intelligence, or immoral, criminal or anti-social behavior; which in turn allowed for compulsory sterilization laws. Some Governors, state and federal courts regularly found these unconstitutional. […]
