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. 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 28, 2009 to Friday, July 10, 2009

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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%)

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

Sunday, June 28

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

2:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Arrive at Congressional Academy

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm: Welcome and Academy Overview

6:30 pm – 7:30 pm: Dinner

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

Topic: The American Mind

Seminar Question: According to Jefferson, what is the relation between the Declaration of Independence and our American regime?

Readings:

• Jefferson, "Letter to Henry Lee" (May 8, 1825)
• Jefferson, "Letter to Roger Weightman" (June 24, 1826)

8:00 pm – 9:00 pm: Class Meeting #1

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

Seminar Question: In what way is the American regime unique, according to The Federalist? What are the foundations of its principles articulated in the Declaration? For example, according to Cooper, what is the relationship between Biblical revelation and America's political principles? Between British tradition and the Declaration's principles, in Jefferson's view?

Readings:

• The Federalist #1 (paragraph 1)
• Cooper, "A Sermon on the Commencement of the Constitution" (1780)
• Jefferson, "Summary View of the Rights of British North America" (1774)

Monday, June 29

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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"

Seminar Question: What makes Americans "one people"? What is a "self-evident" truth?

Readings:

• The Declaration of Independence (first sentence)

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #2

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

Seminar Questions: What are the fundamental natural laws of politics, according to Locke? What is the primary purpose of government, in his view? How do the Resolves of Boston illustrate some of Locke's principles?

Readings:

• Locke, Second Treatise of Government
  • Section 4-8
  • Section 123-24
• Resolves of Boston (1772)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #3

Topic: "All men are created equal"

Seminar Questions: In what way, according to the Declaration's principles, are all human beings equal? What is an "unalienable" natural right? How is it different, for example, from a privilege or an entitlement?

Readings:

• Locke, Second Treatise of Government, Section 54
• Jefferson, "Rough Draft of the Declaration" (June 1776)

12:45 pm – 1:15 pm: Common Session #3 –

Topic: "The Tradition of Liberty"

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

Transit to National Archives
Tour of the Archives
Transit to Academy

7:00 pm – 8:00 am: Common Session #4 – Professor Burkett

Topic: "The Art of Liberty"

Tuesday, June 30

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"Consent of the Governed": Forming a Constitutional Government

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #5 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "To secure these rights"

Seminar Question: Why did the Founders reject ancient democracy yet embrace a republic?

Readings:

• The Federalist:
  • #9
  • #39 (paragraph 1)

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #4

Topic: The Constitutional Convention: Writing a New Constitution

Seminar Question: Why is a written constitution central to the American idea of a republic? According to Madison and Hamilton, what were the fundamental political problems in the United States under America's first written constitution, the Articles of Confederation?

Readings:

• The Federalist #53 (paragraphs 1-3)
• Articles of Confederation
• Madison, "Vices of the Political System of the United States", no. 11
• The Federalist #15

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #5

Topic: The Constitutional Convention: Addressing the Problem

Seminar Question: How did the competing plans at the Philadelphia Convention address the problems under the Articles?

Readings:

• Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (selections)

12:30 pm – 1:00 pm: Common Session #6 – Professor Marlowe

Topic: "George Washington, Mount Vernon, and the Constitution's Executive"

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

Transit to Mount Vernon
Tour of Mount Vernon
Transit to Academy

Wednesday, July 1

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"Consent of the Governed": Debating the Constitution

7:30 am – 1:00 pm: Morning Session: The Capitol

Transit to the Capitol
The Capitol
Transit to Academy

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Common Session #7 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "Constitutional Reverence" Seminar Questions: In Jefferson's view, why should written constitutions not be looked upon with "sanctimonious reverence"? Why, according to Madison, should they be revered? Readings:

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

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Class Meeting #6

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 Anti-Federalists? Why must it be large, in Madison's view? Who makes the better argument? Readings:

• Centinel, "The Small Republic Argument"
• The Federalist #10

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Class Meeting #7

Topic: Defending the Constitution: The Federalist/Antifederalist Debate Over a Bill of Rights Seminar Questions: How does the structure of the federal government address the need for a bill of rights, and why, according to Hamilton, are bills of rights both unnecessary and dangerous? In proposing the Bill of Rights, how does Madison respond to those charges? Readings:

• The Federalist #51
• The Federalist #84 (paras. 8-12)
• Madison, "Speech on June 8, 1789"

Thursday, July 2

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The Miracle at Philadelphia

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Common Session #8 – Professor Atto

Topic: "The Miracle at Philadelphia"

8:30 am – 10:00 pm: Trip to Philadelphia

Transit to Philadelphia
Lunch
National Constitution Center
Liberty Bell
Independence Hall
Dinner in Philadelphia
Transit to Academy

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

Friday, July 3

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"Conceived in Liberty": Slavery, Constitutional Government, and the Road to Gettysburg

9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Morning Session: The Library of Congress

Transit to the Library of Congress
Tour of the Library of Congress
Transit to Academy

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm: Common Session #9 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "The Founders' Hopes for Slavery"

Seminar Questions: According to Lincoln, what were the Founders' hopes for slavery? How does Jefferson's letter both illustrate and call into question that hope?

Readings:

• Lincoln, "The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence" (1857)
• Jefferson, "Letter to Edward Coles" (August 25, 1814)

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm: Class Meeting #8

Topic: The Missouri Compromise and the Problem of Slavery

Seminar Question: What divisions did the Missouri Compromise reveal over the problem of slavery? According to Calhoun and Stevens, how did they break with the Founders' view of the issue of slavery in the years after the Missouri Compromise?

Readings:

• Madison, "Letter to James Monroe" (February 10, 1820)
• Jefferson, "Letter to John Holmes" (April 22, 1820)
• Calhoun, "Speech on the Oregon Bill" (1848)
• Stephens, "The Cornerstone Speech" (1861)

3:30 pm – 4:30 pm: Class Meeting #9

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

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

Readings:

• Garrison, "On the Constitution and the Union" (December 29, 1832)
• Frederick Douglass
  • >"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" (1852)
  • "The Anti-Slavery Nature of the Constitution" (1860)
  • "Speech for the Promotion of Colored Enlistments" (1863)

Saturday, July 4

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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 #10 – Professor Sikkenga

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

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

Readings:

• Lincoln, "Lyceum Speech"

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #10

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 #11

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)
• Lincoln-Douglas Debates (selections)

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Arlington Cemetery

Transit to the Arlington Cemetery
Tour of Arlington Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Transit to Academy

Sunday, July 5

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

1:00 pm – 1:50 pm: Class Meeting #12

Topic: Secession and Union

Seminar Questions: On what grounds did Mississippi secede? Why did Lincoln reject the idea of their secession?

Readings:

• "Mississippi Resolutions" (1861)
• Lincoln, "1st Inaugural" (1861)

2:00 pm – 2:50 pm: Class meeting #13

Topic: Lincoln's Understanding of the Civil 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" (1863)

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm: Monument Tour

Monday, July 6

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

9:00 am – 1:00 pm: Morning Session: Ford's Theater and the Supreme Court

Transit
Ford's Theater
U.S. Supreme Court
Transit to Academy

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Common Session #13 – Professor Sikkenga

Topic: "Executive Action in Times of Crisis"

Seminar Question: Why must there be an energetic executive? How do you reconcile an energetic executive with a republic?

Readings:

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

2:30 pm – 3:45 pm: Class Meeting #14

Topic: Lincoln and Civil Liberties

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

Readings:

• Ex Parte Merryman (1861)
• Lincoln, "Proclamation Suspending Habeas Corpus" (1862)
• Lincoln, "On the Suspension of Habeas Corpus" (1853)
• Ex Parte Milligan (1866)

4:00 pm – 5:00 pm: Class Meeting #16

Topic: Lincoln's Vision for America

Seminar Question: How does the Second Inaugural reveal Lincoln's political principles and his statesmanship?

Readings:

• Lincoln, "2nd Inaugural" (1865)

7:00 pm – 7:45 pm: Common Session #14 – Professor Sands

Topic: "Lincoln and Political Humor"

Tuesday, July 7

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

2:00 pm – 2:30 pm: Common Session #15 – Professor Portteus

Topic: "Abraham Lincoln and the Battle of Gettysburg"

9:30 am – 8:00 pm: Trip to Gettysburg

Transit to Gettysburg
Visitor Center
Lunch
Battlefield tour
Dinner in Gettysburg
Transit to Academy

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

Wednesday, July 8

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

9:00 am – 9:30 am: Common Session #16 – 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 #16

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 the Black Man Wants"

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #17

Topic: Douglass and Statesmanship

Seminar Question: What does Douglass' speech reveal about Lincoln's statesmanship and his own?

Readings:

• "Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln" (1876)

12:45 pm – 1:30 pm: Class Meeting #18

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? In light of a decision like Plessy v. Ferguson, who makes a stronger argument?

Readings:

• Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
• Washington, "Atlanta Exposition Address" (1895)
• Washington, "Letter to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention" (1898)
• DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (selections)

1:30 pm – 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Smithsonian

Transit to the Smithsonian
Visit the Smithsonian
Transit to Academy

Thursday, July 9

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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 #17 – 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 – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #19

Topic: MLK on Non-Violence and Civil Disobedience

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

Readings:

• King
  • "The Ethical Demands of Integration" (1962)
  • "I Have a Dream" (1963)
  • "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail" (1963)

11:00 am – 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #20

Topic: Debating MLK's Vision for America

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

Readings:

• King, "Non-Violence: The Only Road to Freedom" (1966)
• Malcolm X
  • "A Declaration of Independence" (1964)
  • "The Ballot or the Bullet" (1984)

Friday, July 10

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

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

Topic: Self-government and Education

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

Readings:

• Jefferson, "Rockfish Gap Report" (1818)

9:30 am – 10:45 am: Class Meeting #21

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"

11:45 am – 12:15 pm: Common Session #19 – Professor Sikkenga

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