Multi-Day Seminars

Spring 2024 Multi-Day Schedule

Applications for Spring 2024 are closed. Watch for Fall 2024 offerings soon!

World War II

New Orleans, LA | January 19-21, 2024

World War II was the largest and deadliest conflict in human history and one of the most consequential events in the history of the world. This seminar will focus on the crucial role that America played in the war, examining the country’s initial reaction to the outbreak of the war, its eventual involvement in the war, and the role it played in the ending of the war and the immediate aftermath of the war.

The Cold War

Simi Valley, CA | February 2-4, 2024

In this seminar, which features a tour of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, we will use a variety of primary sources, including items from the Reagan Library, to discuss the Cold War from start to finish. Our wide-ranging discussion topics include the origins of the rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union, the impact of the Cold War on the home front, covert operations, and actions taken by President Reagan to weaken communism and the Soviet Union. We will also examine the rapid succession of events—some expected, others quite surprising—that brought a peaceful end to the Cold War.

Texas Independence

San Antonio, TX | February 2-4, 2024

The seminar uses period documents for a holistic discussion of the grievances that prompted the Texas Independence struggle, the ensuing conflict with Mexico for a republic, and the subsequent annexation contest that led to war between the United States and Mexico. Our focus will be on the actual experiences of all Texans, encounters that spurred the creation of the short-lived Texas republic. 

Slavery and the Constitution

Charleston, SC | February 9-11, 2024

Our current reckoning with race and American history asks a fundamental question about the nation’s founding: was the United States Constitution an antislavery or proslavery document? Irreconcilable answers to this question informed the nineteenth-century sectional conflict over slavery and the meaning of the American Civil War. This seminar begins with the Federal Convention of 1787 and culminates with the Fourteenth Amendment of 1868, tracing how the framers of the Constitution and subsequent generations understood the place of slavery in the national constitutional order. 

West Coast Immigration

San Francisco, CA | February 9-11, 2024

This seminar will focus on immigration to the West Coast of the United States from the mid-to-late 1800s to the present day. Using a mixture of primary source documents, memoirs, and short fiction, we will study topics such as Chinese immigration and exclusion, Japanese immigration and internment during World War II, refugees from Southeast Asia in the 1970s and 1980s, and Mexican-American immigration throughout the 20th century. 

America in World War I

Kansas City, MO | March 1-3, 2024

This seminar will examine primary documents to consider how American participation in World War I transformed American society. We will analyze debates over entering the war and expanding the postwar role of the United States in the world, the homefront mobilization required to fight overseas, challenges to civil liberties during the conflict, the wartime fight for expanded civil rights by women and African Americans, the American soldiers’ experience of war, and the enduring legacy of the conflict.

“The Utmost Good Faith”:Native Americans and the United States

Oklahoma City, OK | March 8-10, 2024

In 1787, in the Northwest Ordinance, Congress pledged that the utmost good faith would always be observed towards the Indigenous peoples of the nation and that land would never be taken from them without their consent. In reality, the policy of the United States fluctuated many times over the next two hundred years. This seminar will examine the policies of the nation and the response of Native nations to them.

Religious Freedom in America – Co Sponsored by Loeb Institute

Washington, D.C. | March 15-17, 2024

The seminar examines both the foundations of religious freedom and the interpretation of this idea by the Supreme Court. In addition to such foundational texts as Locke’s Letter on Toleration and Madison’s Memorial and Remonstrance against Religious Assessments, seminar participants will consider Supreme Court decisions on both the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment.

Political Crises of the 1970s

Grand Rapids, MI | March 15-17, 2024

The 1970s was a tumultuous decade in American history, filled with war, political scandal, the resignation of a President, and multiple domestic crises.  More fundamentally, it was a decade that witnessed the greatest expansion of federal regulation in American history, as well as a rethinking of the major institutions of American government.  This seminar will explore the momentous events of the 1970s and their long-term effects on American history and governance.

Jefferson and Madison

Charlottesville, VA | April 5-7, 2024

A few months before he died, Thomas Jefferson asked James Madison to “take care of me when dead.”   This unusual request was the culmination of a friendship that lasted over five decades and formed the backbone of perhaps the most successful political coalition in American history.  This seminar will examine the writings of Jefferson and Madison to understand where they agreed and where they disagreed and to discern, perhaps, where they were right and where they were wrong.  

Abraham Lincoln’s Statesmanship

Springfield, IL | April 19-21, 2024

This multi-day seminar will explore the statesmanship of Abraham Lincoln through a careful study of some of his greatest speeches and writings. It considers Lincoln’s statesmanship in terms of his combined greatness of thought, speech, and action. In addition to considering the historical context of the Civil War era, we will also explore the extent to which Lincoln’s actions in saving the Union and ending slavery were informed by his profound and enduring understanding of democracy and the fundamental principles of a free society. 

Founding Justice: John Marshall’s Judicial Statesmanship

Richmond, VA | April 26-28, 2024

This seminar will examine the contributions made by John Marshall to the Early Republic. We will focus on his tenure as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court where he penned many deeply influential opinions establishing how we interpret Constitutional principles and particular clauses. Readings and discussions will provide a window into fundamental issues of our polity, including separation of powers, federalism, the relationship of law to justice, and the conditions necessary for republican self-government.

Kentucky Secession Crisis

Frankfort, KY | June 6-8, 2024

In the months following the election of Abraham Lincoln, the secession of the southern states placed Kentucky in a perilous situation. In this seminar we will explore the situation using a role-playing game called Kentucky, 1861: Loyalty, State, and Nation. Participants will meet in the Old State House in Frankfort, where they will take on the roles of members of the Kentucky Legislature, facing difficult decisions about slavery, neutrality, and secession. 

Applications for Spring 2024 are closed. Watch for Fall 2024 offerings soon!

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