Documents & Texts

• Declaration of Independence
• Gettysburg Address
• "I Have a Dream" Speech
• Schedule of Readings

Telling America's Story:
A Congressional Academy on the Founding, Development, and Future of American Self-Government

Academy Description

Serious education is about pursuing great questions, and the goal of this Academy is to pursue the most important question for us as citizens: namely, "What does it mean to be an American?" To do that, the seminar will immerse you in the study of the ideas and institutions that make Americans who we are.

It is a sound principle of learning that one must begin with what is familiar. We know that there are three documents in American history that most of us are familiar with: The Declaration of Independence, the Gettysburg Address, and Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Our seminar is built around these three documents, which illuminate three great epochs in the American story: the birth and definition of American freedom in the 18th century; the great crisis of the American experiment and the "new birth of freedom" in the 19th century; and the fulfillment of the American promise of freedom a century later in the 20th century. While these documents are historically and rhetorically linked with each other by the themes of equality, liberty, and self-government and will be the alpha and the omega of the Congressional Academy, we will consider many other documents, deeds, and significant issues in American history as part of our discussions. While we will be concerned with understanding the history of our country and with applying its principles to contemporary issues, we will keep our focus on the central question of what it means to be an American.

"We are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate any error so long as reason is left free to combat it."

Syllabus of Readings

Sunday, June 29, 2008 to Friday, July 11, 2008

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Texts

• The Declaration of Independence and Constitution (Ashbrook Center booklet)
• The Federalist
• Course readings packet
  

Grading

• Participation (preparation, attentiveness, discussion) (33%)
• Final exam (67%)

Theme: The Declaration of Independence: The Birth of American Self-government

Sunday, June 29

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"An expression of the American mind": The Declaration and Its Foundations

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Welcome and Academy Overview (Prof. Jeffrey Sikkenga)

6:00 pm – 6:30 pm: Opening Address: "Civic Education" (Senator Lamar Alexander)

7:30 pm – 8:00 pm: Common Session #1– Professor Sikkenga

Topic: The American Mind

Seminar Question: How is the Declaration of Independence the foundation of our country?

Readings:

• The Federalist #1 (paragraph 1)
• Jefferson, "Letter to Henry Lee"
• Jefferson, "Letter to Roger Weightman"

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Class Meeting #1

Topic: "Our True Ground": Foundations of the Declaration

Seminar Question: What are the foundations of the principles of the Declaration?

Readings:

• Cooper, "A Sermon on the Commencement of the Constitution" (1780)
• Jefferson, "Summary View of the Rights of British North America" (1774)

Monday, June 30

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"We hold these truths": The American Ideas

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #2– Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "One people" and "self-evident" truths

Seminar Question: What makes Americans "one people"?

Readings:

• The Declaration of Independence

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #2

Topic: "Laws of nature and of nature's God" and "unalienable rights"

Seminar Questions: What are natural rights, according to the Founders? What is the primary purpose of government, in their view?

Readings:

• Locke, Second Treatise of Government
  • Section 4-8
  • Section 54
  • Section 123-24
• "Resolutions of Boston", January 21, 1773

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #3

Topic: "All men are created equal"

Seminar Questions: What does the Declaration mean by equality? In what way are people equal?

Readings:

• Jefferson, "Rough Draft of the Declaration"
• Adams, "Letter to Timothy Pickering" (1822)

12:45 pm – 1:30 pm: Common Session #3 – Professor McGuire

Topic: The Tradition of Liberty

1:30 pm – 5:00 pm: The National Archives

1:30 pm – 2:15 pm: Transit to National Archives
2:15 pm – 3:15 pm: The Documents and Their History
3:15 pm – 4:15 pm: Constitutional Simulation
4:15 pm – 5:00 pm: Transit to Academy

Tuesday, July 1

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"Consent of the Governed": Forming a Constitutional Government 9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #4 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "To secure these rights"

Seminar Question: Why did the Founders embrace a republic with a written constitution?

Readings:

• The Federalist:
  • #9
  • #39 (paragraph 1)
  • #53 (paras. 1-3)

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #5

Topic: The Constitutional Convention: Competing Plans

Seminar Question: How did the competing constitutional plans try to solve thefundamental problems of the Articles of Confederation?

Readings:

• James Madison, "Vices of the Political System of the United States"
• James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787
  • May 29, 31, June 6, 11, 13, 15, and 18

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #6

Topic: The Constitutional Convention: The Final Product

Seminar Question: How does the Constitution's structure help to create an energetic yet limited government?

Readings:

• The Federalist #39
• The Federalist #51

1:00 pm – 1:50 pm: Common Session #5 – Professor Burkett

Topic:"The Art and Architecture of Liberty"

2:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Afternoon session: Visit to the Capitol

Transit to the Capitol
Tour of the Capitol
Common Session #6: US Representative Nancy Pelosi: "The US House of Representatives"
Transit to Academy

Wednesday, July 2

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"Consent of the Governed": Debating the Constitution 9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #7 - Professor Sikkenga

Topic: Constitutionalism Seminar Questions: Why does Jefferson think that constitutions should not be looked upon with "sanctimonious reverence"? Why does Madison think they should be revered? Readings:

• Jefferson, "Letter to Samuel Kercheval" (last 2 paras.) (July 12, 1816)
• The Federalist #49

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #7

Topic: Defending the Constitution: The Federalist/Antifederalist Debate Over Virtue, Liberty, and the Size of a Good Republic

Seminar Questions: Why must a free republic be small, according to the Antifederalists? Why must it be large, in Madison's view? Readings:

• Melanchton Smith, "Speech on Representation"
• Centinel, "The Small Republic Argument"
• The Federalist #10

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #8

Topic: Defending the Constitution: The Federalist/Antifederalist Debate Over a Bill of Rights Seminar Questions: According to Hamilton, why are bills of rights both unnecessary and dangerous? In proposing the Bill of Rights, how does Madison respond to those charges? Readings:

• The Federalist #84 (paras. 8-12)
• James Madison, "Speech on June 8, 1789"

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Trip to Mount Vernon

Transit to Mount Vernon
Tour of Mount Vernon
Common Session #8 – Professor Marlowe: George Washington and the Constitution's Executive Transit to Academy

Thursday, July 3

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The Miracle at Philadelphia 7:00 am – 10:00 pm: Trip to Philadelphia

Transit to Philadelphia
Common Session #9 – The Miracle at Philadelphia
Lunch
Tour of National Constitution Center
Tour of Independence Hall
Dinner in Philadelphia
Transit to Academy

Theme: The Gettysburg Address: The Civil War and the Crisis of American Self-government

Friday, July 4

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"Conceived in Liberty": Slavery, Constitutional Government, and the Road to Gettysburg 9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #10 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "The Missouri Compromise and the Founders' Hopes for Slavery"

Seminar Questions: What were Jefferson's hopes for slavery and how, in his view, did the Missouri Compromise affect those hopes? How does Madison's speech illustrate the way in which slavery had to be discussed in the 1820s and 1830s?

Readings:

• Jefferson
  • "Letter to Edward Coles" (August 25, 1814)
  • "Letter to John Holmes" (April 22, 1820)
• Madison, "Letter to James Monroe" (February 10, 1820)
• "Speech in the Virginia Constitutional Convention" (December 2, 1829)

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #9

Topic: The Problem of Slavery

Seminar Question: According to Calhoun and Stevens, how did they break with the Founders' view of the issue of slavery?

Readings:

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (selections)
• Calhoun, "Speech on the Oregon Bill"
• Stephens, "The Cornerstone Speech"

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #10

Topic: Abolitionism and the Constitution: William Lloyd Garrison vs. Frederick Douglass

Seminar Question: Why does Garrison denounce the Constitution and on what grounds does Douglass defend it?

Readings:

• Garrison, "On the Constitution and the Union" (December 29, 1832)
• Frederick Douglass
  • "The Anti-Slavery Nature of the Constitution" (1860)
  • "Speech for the Promotion of Colored Enlistments" (1863)

Saturday, July 5

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"Dedicated to the Proposition that all Men are Created Equal": Debating the American Ideal before the Civil War

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #11 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: The Rule of Law, Slavery, and the Future of Self-Government: Lincoln on Prudent Statesmanship

Seminar Question: In Lincoln's view, what are the greatest dangers in a republic and how can a statesman deal with them?

Readings:

• Lincoln
  • "Lyceum Speech"
  • "Temperance Address"
  • "Cooper Union Address"

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #11

Topic: Dred Scott

Seminar Questions: According to Chief Justice Taney, why can Africans not be Americans? Why does Garrison agree with Taney's view of the Constitution? What is wrong with his argument, according to Douglass and Lincoln?

Readings:

• Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
• Garrison, "Dred Scott and Disunion" (March 12, 1858)
• Douglass, "Speech on the Dred Scott Decision" (May 11, 1857)
• Lincoln, "Reply to Dred Scott" (June 26, 1857)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #12

Topic: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858

Seminar Question: What is Stephen Douglas' doctrine of popular sovereignty and what is Lincoln's reply?

Readings:

• Lincoln, "House Divided Speech" (June 16, 1858)
• 1st, 2nd, and 7th Debates

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Library of Congress

Transit to the Library of Congress
Common Session #11 – Prof. Ray: "Henry Clay: The Successes and Failures of the Great Statesman of Congress"
Tour of the Library of Congress
Transit to Academy

Sunday, July 6

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"We are now engaged in a great civil war": The Civil War Arrives

1:00 pm – 1:30 pm: Class Meeting #13

Topic: Secession and Union

Seminar Questions: On what grounds did Mississippi secede? Why did Lincoln reject the idea of their secession? What was Madison's view of nullification and secession?

Readings:

• "Mississippi Proclamation"
• Lincoln, "1st Inaugural"
• Madison
  • "Notes from the Federal Convention"
  • "Letter to Nicholas Trist" (Dec. 23, 1832)

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Class meeting #14

Topic: Lincoln's Understanding of the Meaning of the War

Seminar Questions: What is Lincoln's view of the ultimate meaning of the Civil War? How does he communicate his view in the Gettysburg Address?

Readings:

• Lincoln, "The Gettysburg Address"

2:30 pm – 6:00 pm: Afternoon session: Trip to Arlington Cemetery

Transit to Arlington Cemetery
Tour of Arlington Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Common Session #13 – Talk by US soldier who guards the Tomb
Transit to Academy

7:00 pm – 7:50 pm: Evening event: Common session #12 – Professor Sands

Topic: "Lincoln's Serious Use of Humor"

Monday, July 7

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"The Great Task Remaining Before Us": Lincoln in the Civil War

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #14 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "Executive Action in Times of Crisis"

Seminar Question: Why must there be an energetic executive?

Readings:

• Locke, "Of Prerogative"
• The Federalist #70

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #15

Topic: Lincoln and Civil Liberties

Seminar Question: Did Lincoln violate the Constitution in suspending the writ of habeas corpus?

Readings:

• Lincoln, "On the Suspension of Habeas Corpus"
• Ex Parte Merryman (1863)
• Ex Parte Milligan (1866)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #16

Topic: Lincoln's vision for America

Seminar Question: How does the Second Inaugural reveal Lincoln's statesmanship?

Readings:

• Lincoln, "2nd Inaugural"

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Trip to the White House

Transit to the White House
Tour of the White House
Common Session #15 – US Attorney General: "The Rule of Law"
Transit to Academy

7:00 pm – 7:50 pm: Evening Event: Common Session #16 – Professor Atto

Topic: "Presidential Power and National Security: A Historical Perspective"

Tuesday, July 8

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"We are met on a great battlefield of that war": Trip to Gettysburg

8:00 am – 9:00 pm: Trip to Gettysburg

Transit to Gettysburg
Common Session #17 – Professor Lucas Morel: "Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation"
Lunch
Battlefield tour
Dinner in Gettysburg
Transit to Academy

Theme: "I Have a Dream": The Fulfillment of American Self-Government

Wednesday, July 9

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"The Unfinished Work": Frederick Douglass, Reconstruction, and the Struggle for Racial Equality

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #18 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: Moral Reconstruction after the Civil War

Seminar Question: How do the black man and the white man need to be reformed because of slavery, according to Douglass?

Readings:

• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (selections)

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #17

Topic: Douglass on the Options for America after the Civil War

Seminar Question: What are the possible paths for freed slaves? Which should the black man choose, according to Douglass?

Readings:

• Douglass
  • "What Country Have I?"
  • "What the Black Man Wants"

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #18

Topic: Douglass and Statesmanship

Seminar Question: According to Douglass, what made Abraham Lincoln a great statesman?

Readings:

• "1876 Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln"

2:30 pm – 3:30 pm: Class Meeting #19

Topic: The Debate over Attaining Equality after Douglass: Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois

Seminar Questions: What is Booker T. Washington's strategy for achieving racial equality? What is DuBois' criticism of Washington's approach?

Readings:

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• Washington, Up From Slavery (selections)
• "Atlanta Exposition Address" (1895)
• DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (selections)

7:00 pm – 8:30 pm: Evening event: Common session #20

Topic: Student debate moderated by Prof. Taylor on "Liberty, Security, and Presidential Power"

Thursday, July 10

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"The content of their character": The Debate over Equality and Civil Rights in the 20th Century

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #21 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: Equality and Brown v. Board of Education

Seminar Question: What is Brown's understanding of equality?

Readings:

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

9:30 am – 10:15 am: Class Meeting #22

Topic: MLK on Non-Violence and Civil Disobedience

Seminar question: According to King, why do the goals of the civil rights movement justify non-violent civil disobedience?

Readings:

• King
  • "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail"
  • "Why We Can't Wait"

10:30 am – 11:45 am: Class Meeting #23

Topic: Debating MLK's Vision for America

Seminar Question: What is Malcolm X's criticism of King's vision of America?

Readings:

• King
  • "I Have Dream"
  • "I See the Promised Land"
• Malcolm X
  • "A Declaration of Independence"
  • "The Ballot or the Bullet"

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Afternoon session: The Supreme Court

Transit to the Supreme Court
Common Session #22 – US Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas: Constitutional Interpretation
Tour of the US Supreme Court
Transit to Academy

Friday, July 11

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"Free at Last"? Liberty, Equality, and Education Today

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #23 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: Self-government and education

Seminar Question: What kind of education must a republic have?

Readings:

• Jefferson, "Rockfish Gap Report" (1818)
• Douglass, "The Blessings of Liberty and Education" (September 3, 1894)

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #24

Topic: Citizenship and the Need for Liberal Education

Seminar Questions: What is liberal education? Why are students not encountering it as they should in university?

Readings:

• Bloom, "Our Listless Universities" Parts I-II
• Foster, "On Liberal Education"

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #25

Topic: Evaluations; Final Review and Questions

3:00 pm – 3:30 pm: Common Session #24 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "A republic, if you can keep it"