Itinerary of the 2011 Academy
3:00 pm 6:00 pm: Arrive at Congressional Academy
6:15 pm 6:45 pm: Welcome and Academy overview
6:45 pm 7:30 pm: Dinner
7:30 pm 8:00 pm: Common Session #1 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: "The American Mind"
8:00 pm 9:00 pm: Class Meeting #1
Topic: "Our True Ground": Foundations of the Declaration
9:00 pm 10:30 pm: Study Time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #2 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: "One people"
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #2
Topic: "Laws of nature and of nature's God"
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #3
Topic: "All men are created equal"
12:00 pm 12:45 pm: Lunch
12:45 pm 1:15 pm: Common Session #3
Topic: "The Tradition of Liberty"
1:30 pm 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The National Archives
5:00 pm 6:00 pm: Free Time
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm 8:00 pm: Common Session #4 Professor Burkett
Topic: "The Art of Liberty"
8:00 pm 9:30 pm: Free time
9:30 pm 10:30 pm: Study time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #5 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: "To secure these rights"
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #4
Topic: The Constitutional Convention: Writing a New Constitution
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #5
Topic: The Constitutional Convention: Addressing the Problem
12:00 pm 12:30 pm: Lunch
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
5:00 pm 6:00 pm: Free time
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm 8:30 pm: Evening event: Academic Jeopardy
8:30 pm 9:30 pm: Free time
9:30 pm 11:00 pm: Study time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #7 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: "Constitutional Reverence"
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #6
Topic: Defending the Constitution: The Federalist/Antifederalist debate over virtue, liberty, and the size of a good republic
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #7
Topic: Defending the Constitution: The Federalist/Antifederalist debate over a bill of rights
12:00 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 6:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Capitol
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm 8:00 pm: Evening Event: Concert
8:00 pm 9:00 pm: Free time
9:00 pm 11:00 pm: Study time
7:00 am 8:00 am: Breakfast
8:00 am 8:30 am: Common Session #8 Professor Atto
Topic: "The Miracle at Philadelphia"
8:30 am 10:00 pm: Trip to Philadelphia
10:00 pm 11:00 pm: Free time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #9 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: "The Founders' Hopes for Slavery"
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #8
Topic: The Missouri Compromise and the Problem of Slavery
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #9
Topic: Abolitionism and the Founders' Constitution: William Lloyd Garrison vs. Frederick Douglass
12:00 pm 12:45 pm: Lunch
12:45 pm 1:30 pm: Common Session #10 Professor Burkett
Topic: "Liberty's Architecture"
1:30 pm 6:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Supreme Court and the Library of Congress
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm 9:30 pm: Evening Event: "Glory"
9:30 pm 10:00 pm: Free time
10:00 pm 11:00 pm: Study time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
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 Statesmanship
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #10
Topic: Dred Scott
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #11
Topic: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
12:15 pm 11:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Monticello
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 12:00 pm: Free time
12:00 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 1:50 pm: Class Meeting #12
Topic: Secession and Union
1:50 pm 2:00 pm: Break
2:00 pm 2:50 pm: Class Meeting #13
Topic: Lincoln's Understanding of the Civil War
3:00 pm 7:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Ford's Theater and Monument Tour
7:00 pm 7:45 pm: Dinner
7:45 pm 8:30 pm: Common Session #12 Professor Sands
Topic: "Lincoln and Political Humor"
8:30 pm 9:30 pm: Free Time
9:30 pm 11:00 pm: Study Time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #13 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: "Executive Action in Times of Crisis"
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #14
Topic: Lincoln and Civil Liberties
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #15
Topic: The Emancipation Proclamation
12:00 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 1:50 pm: Class Meeting #16
Topic: Lincoln's Vision for America
2:00 pm 6:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Arlington Cemetery
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Free Time
7:00 pm 8:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm 11:00 pm: Evening Event: Fireworks
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #14 Professor Portteus
Topic: "Abraham Lincoln and the Battle of Gettysburg"
9:30 am 9:00 pm: Trip to Gettysburg
9:00 pm 10:00 pm: Free time
10:00 pm 11:00 pm: Study time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #15 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: Moral Reconstruction after the Civil War
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #16
Topic: Douglass on the Options for America after the Civil War
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:15 pm: Class Meeting #17
Topic: The Debate over Attaining Equality after Douglass: Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois
12:15 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 6:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Smithsonian
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm 8:30 pm: Evening Event: Academic Jeopardy: Final Jeopardy
8:30 pm 11:00 pm: Study time: review and questions
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #16 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: Equality and Brown v. Board of Education
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #18
Topic: MLK on Non-Violence and Civil Disobedience
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #19
Topic: Debating MLK's Vision for America
12:00 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 2:30 pm: Study time
2:30 pm 4:30 pm: Final exam
4:30 pm 6:00 pm: Free time
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm 8:00 pm: Evaluations
8:00 pm 10:00 pm: Evening Event: Talent Show
10:00 pm 11:00 pm: Free time
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #17 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: Self-Government and Education
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #20
Topic: Citizenship and the Need for Liberal Education
10:45 am 11:00 am: Evaluations
11:00 am 11:45 am: Lunch
11:45 am 12:00 pm: Common Session #18 Professor Sikkenga
Topic: "A republic, if you can keep it"
12:00 pm: Depart Congressional Academy