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. […]
The Holocaust was the greatest horror of World War II, and the Allies obtained evidence of Nazi Germany’s genocide of Europe’s Jewish population during the war. How did Allied leaders, especially President Franklin Roosevelt, respond to the Holocaust? Did the Allies attempt to disrupt the death camps’ operations in order to halt the mass murder? […]
This seminar will consider Jackson’s ascendancy to President, its historical context as well as many of his controversial policies such as the Bank War, Nullification Crisis and the Indian Removal Act. This program will be conducted as a Socratic discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and with the Discussion Leader facilitating the […]
This seminar offers an overview of the principles of the American Founding and the documents that embody them, especially the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. These principles will be illuminated through a close study of the events of the American Revolution and the debates on the ratification of the Constitution. This program will be […]
This seminar will focus on America’s westward expansion and its “Manifest Destiny” to expand from sea to shining sea. This seminar will consider the purposes for westward expansion, Jackson’s Indian Removal Policy and westward expansion’s impact on slavery. This program will be conducted as a discussion, utilizing primary source documents as the only readings, and […]
In this seminar, Abraham Lincoln and Reconstruction, we will consider the issues of slavery, secession, and reconstruction. As seceded states came under the control of Union armies, Lincoln grappled with the problem of their eventual readmission or reconstruction. What should the status of disloyal whites be once they had been forced to resubmit to the […]
Following the Civil War, African American businessmen and women began to invest, build, and thrive despite white-controlled financial and commercial networks. But what happened in the Greenwood district of Tulsa, Oklahoma? Why will it become a target of a racial massacre in 1921? Using primary documents, we will read and listen to the stories of […]
