Academy Description
Serious education is about pursuing great questions, and the goal of this Academy was to pursue the most important question for us as citizens: namely, "What does it mean to be an American?" To do that, the seminar immersed participants 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 was 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 are the alpha and the omega of the Congressional Academy, we considered many other documents, deeds, and significant issues in American history. While were be concerned with understanding the history of our country and with applying its principles to contemporary issues, we kept 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."
Faculty
Texts
Grading
"An expression of the American mind": The Declaration and Its Foundations
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"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) (CP pg 5)
- Jefferson, "Letter to Roger Weightman" (June 24, 1826) (CP pg 7)
8:00 pm 9:00 pm: Class Meeting #1
Topic: "Our True Ground": Foundations of the DeclarationSeminar 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) (CP pg 11)
- Jefferson, "Summary View of the Rights of British North America" (1774) (CP pg 13)
9:00 pm 10:30 pm: Study Time
"We hold these truths": The American Ideas
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #2 Prof. 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
- Sections 4-8 (CP pg 17)
- Sections 123-24 (CP pg 19)
- Resolves of Boston (1772) (CP pg 21)
- Hamilton, The Farmer Refuted (1775)
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
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 (CP pg 29)
- Jefferson, "Rough Draft of the Declaration" (June 1776) (CP pg 31)
12:00 pm 12:45 pm: Lunch
12:45 pm 1:15 pm: Common Session #3 Prof. Mhire
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
5:00 pm 6:00 pm: Free Time
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Dinner
7:00 pm 8:00 am: Common Session #4 Prof. Burkett
Topic: "The Art of Liberty"
8:00 pm 9:30 pm: Free Time
9:30 pm 10:30 pm: Study Time
"Consent of the Governed": Forming a Constitutional Government
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #5 Prof. 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 ConstitutionSeminar 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 (CP pg 37)
- James Madison, "Vices of the Political System of the United States", no. 11 (CP pg 43)
- The Federalist #15
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #5
Topic: The Constitutional Convention: Addressing the ProblemSeminar Question: How did the competing plans at the Philadelphia Convention address the problems under the Articles?
Readings:
- James Madison, Notes of Debates in the Federal Convention of 1787 (selections) (CP pg 51)
12:30 pm 1:00 pm: Common Session #6 Prof. 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
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
"Consent of the Governed": Debating the Constitution
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #7 Prof. 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) (CP pg 79)
- The Federalist #49
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #6
Topic: Defending the Constitution: The Federalist/Anti-Federalist debate over virtue, liberty, and the size of a good republicSeminar 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" (CP pg 83)
- The Federalist #10
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #7
Topic: Defending the Constitution: The Federalist/Anti-Federalist debate over a bill of rightsSeminar 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, "Letter to Thomas Jefferson, October 18, 1788" (CP pg 89)
12:00 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 6:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Capitol
Transit
The Capitol (1:40 tour; House galleries; 4:30 history)
Transit to Academy
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
The Miracle at Philadelphia
7:00 am 8:00 am: Breakfast
8:00 am 8:30 am: Common Session #8 Prof. Atto
Topic: "The Miracle at Philadelphia"
8:30 am 10:00 pm: Trip to Philadelphia
Transit to Philadelphia
Independence Hall Visitor Center
Lunch
National Constitution Center
Liberty Bell
Independence Hall
Dinner in Philadelphia
Transit to Academy
10:00 pm 11:00 pm: Free time
"Conceived in Liberty": Slavery, Constitutional Government, and the Road to Gettysburg
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #9 Prof. Sikkenga
Topic: "The Founders' Hopes for Slavery"Seminar Question: According to Lincoln, what were the Founders' hopes for slavery?
Readings:
- Lincoln, "The Meaning of the Declaration of Independence" (1857) (CP pg 101)
9:30 am 10:45 pm: Class Meeting #8
Topic: The Missouri Compromise and the Problem of SlaverySeminar Questions: What was Jefferson's position on slavery, emancipation, and the Missouri Compromise? According to Calhoun and Stevens, how did they break with the position of Jefferson and the other Founders on the issure of slavery in the years after the Missouri Compromise?
Readings:
- Jefferson, "Letter to Edward Coles" (August 25, 1814) (CP pg 103)
- Jefferson, "Letter to John Holmes" (April 22, 1820) (CP pg 109)
- Calhoun, "Speech on the Oregon Bill" (1848) (CP pg 111)
- Stephens, "The Cornerstone Speech" (1861) (CP pg 115)
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 DouglassSeminar Questions: Why does Garrison denounce the Founders' Constitution? On what grounds does Douglass defend it?
Readings:
- Garrison, "On the Constitution and the Union" (December 29, 1832) (CP pg 121)
- Frederick Douglass
- "What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" (1852) (CP pg 123)
- "The Anti-Slavery Nature of the Constitution" (1860) (CP pg 129)
- "Speech for the Promotion of Colored Enlistments" (1863) (CP pg 131)
12:00 pm 12:45 pm: Lunch
12:45 pm 1:30 pm: Common Session #10 Prof. Burkett
Topic: "Liberty's Architecture"
1:30 pm 5:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Supreme Court and the Library of Congress
Transit
US Supreme Court
Library of Congress
Transit to Academy
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
"Dedicated to the Proposition that all Men are Created Equal": Debating the American Ideal before the Civil War
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 StatesmanshipSeminar Question: In Lincoln's view, how can a statesman deal with the greatest dangers in a republic?
Readings:
- Lincoln, "Lyceum Address" (CP pg 137)
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #10
Topic: Dred ScottSeminar 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) (CP pg 145)
- Garrison, "Dred Scott and Disunion" (March 12, 1858) (CP pg 155)
- Douglass, "Speech on the Dred Scott Decision" (May 11, 1857) (CP pg 157)
- Lincoln, "Reply to Dred Scott" (June 26, 1857) (CP pg 169)
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #11
Topic: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858Seminar Question: What is Stephen Douglas' doctrine of popular sovereignty and what is Lincoln's reply?
Readings:
- Lincoln, "House Divided Speech" (June 16, 1858) (CP pg 179)
- Lincoln-Douglas Debates (selections) (CP pg 185)
12:15 pm 11:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Monticello
Transit to Charlottesville, Virginia (lunch on bus)
Monticello (3:40, 3:50, 4:10)
Dinner at Michie Tavern (6:45-7)
Transit to Academy
"We are now engaged in a great civil war": The Civil War Arrives
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 UnionSeminar Questions: On what grounds did Mississippi secede? Why did Lincoln reject the idea of their secession?
Readings:
- "Mississippi Resolutions" (1861) (CP pg 207)
- Lincoln, "First Inaugural" (1861) (CP pg 209)
1:50 pm 2:00 pm: Break
2:00 pm 2:50 pm: Class Meeting #13
Topic: Lincoln's Understanding of the Civil WarSeminar 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) (CP pg 217)
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 Prof. Sands
Topic: "Lincoln and Political Humor"
8:30 pm 9:30 pm: Free Time
9:30 pm 11:00 pm: Study Time
"The Great Task Remaining Before Us": Lincoln in the Civil War
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"Seminar Questions: Why must there be an energetic executive? How do you reconcile an energetic executive with a republic?
Readings:
- Locke, "Of Prerogative" (CP pg 221)
- The Federalist #70
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #14
Topic: Lincoln and Civil LibertiesSeminar Questions: What was Lincoln's understanding of his constitutional power as president? Did Lincoln violate the Constitution in suspending the writ of habeas corpus?
Readings:
- Ex Parte Merryman (1861) (CP pg 227)
- Lincoln, "Proclamation Suspending Habeas Corpus" (1862) (CP pg 235)
- Lincoln, "On the Suspension of Habeas Corpus" (1853) (CP pg 237)
- Ex Parte Milligan (1866) (CP pg 243)
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #15
Topic: The Emancipation ProclamationSeminar Question: On what basis does Lincoln justify the Emancipation Proclamation?
Readings:
- Lincoln, Emancipation Proclamation (1863)
- Lincoln, "Letter to Albert Hidges" (1864)
12:00 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 1:50 pm: Class Meeting #16
Topic: Lincoln's Vision for AmericaSeminar Question: How does the Second Inaugural reveal Lincoln's political principles and his statesmanship?
Readings:
- Lincoln, "Second Inaugural" (1865) (CP pg 251)
2:00 pm 6:00 pm: Afternoon Session: Arlington Cemetery
Transit to Arlington Cemetery
Tour of Arlington Cemetery, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Transit to Academy
6:00 pm 7:00 pm: Free time
7:00 pm 8:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm 11:00 pm: Evening event: Fireworks
"We are met on a great battlefield of that war": Gettysburg
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #14 Prof. Portteus
Topic: "Abraham Lincoln and the Battle of Gettysburg"
9:30 am 9:00 pm: Trip to Gettysburg
Transit to Gettysburg
Visitor Center
Lunch
Battlefield tour
Dinner in Gettysburg
Transit to Academy
9:00 pm 10:00 pm: Free time
10:00 pm 11:00 pm: Study time
"The Unfinished Work": Frederick Douglass, Reconstruction, and the Struggle for Racial Equality
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #15 Prof. Sikkenga
Topic: Moral Reconstruction after the Civil WarSeminar Question: How does America need to be reformed because of slavery, according to Douglass?
Readings:
- Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (selections) (CP pg 255)
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #16
Topic: Douglass on the Options for America after the Civil WarSeminar Questions: What are the possible paths for freed slaves? Which should America choose, according to Douglass? What does Douglass' "Oration" reveal about Lincoln's statesmanship and his own?
Readings:
- Douglass, "What the Black Man Wants" (CP pg 283)
- "Oration in Memory of Abraham Lincoln" (1876) (CP pg 291)
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. DuBoisSeminar 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) (CP pg 301)
- Washington, "Atlanta Exposition Address" (1895) (CP pg 307)
- Washington, "Letter to the Louisiana Constitutional Convention" (1898) (CP pg 311)
- DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk (selections) (CP pg 315)
12:15 pm 1:00 pm: Lunch
1:00 pm 6:00 pm: Afternoon Session: The Smithsonian
Transit to the Smithsonian
Visit the Smithsonian (1:30-3:15; 3:30-5:15)
Transit to Academy
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
"The content of their character": The Debate over Equality and Civil Rights in the 20th Century
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #16 Prof. Sikkenga
Topic: Equality and Brown v. Board of EducationSeminar Question: What is Brown's understanding of equality?
Readings:
- Brown v. Board of Education (1954) (CP pg 325)
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #18
Topic: MLK on Non-Violence and Civil DisobedienceSeminar questions: 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) (CP pg 331)
- "I Have a Dream" (1963) (CP pg 341)
- "Letter from a Birmingham City Jail" (1963) (CP pg 345)
10:45 am 11:00 am: Break
11:00 am 12:00 pm: Class Meeting #19
Topic: Debating MLK's Vision for AmericaSeminar Question: What is Malcolm X's criticism of King's vision of America?
Readings:
- King, "Non-Violence: The Only Road to Freedom" (1966) (CP pg 351)
- Malcolm X
- "A Declaration of Independence" (1964) (CP pg 357)
- "The Ballot or the Bullet" (1984) (CP pg 359)
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
"Free at Last"? Liberty, Equality, and Education Today
8:00 am 9:00 am: Breakfast
9:00 am 9:30 am: Common Session #17 Prof. Sikkenga
Topic: Self-Government and EducationSeminar Question: What kind of education must a republic have?
Readings:
- Jefferson, "Rockfish Gap Report" (1818) (CP pg 373)
9:30 am 10:45 am: Class Meeting #21
Topic: Citizenship and the Need for Liberal EducationSeminar Questions: What is liberal education? Why are students not encountering it as they should in university?
Readings:
- Bloom, "Our Listless Universities" Parts I-II (CP pg 377)
- Foster, "On Liberal Education" (CP pg 383)
10:45 am 11:00 am: Evaluations
11:00 am 11:45 am: Lunch
11:45 am 12:00 pm: Common Session #18 Prof. Sikkenga
Topic: "A republic, if you can keep it"
12:00 pm: Depart Congressional Academy