In the past three years both the North Carolina and South Carolina state legislatures passed bills requiring all students—in order to graduate from any state public college or university—to take a course studying these documents:
- U.S. Constitution
- Declaration of Independence
- Federalist Papers (5 essays)
- Emancipation Proclamation
- Gettysburg Address
- Letter from Birmingham Jail
The legislators worried that other required courses like “Power, Difference, and Inequality” and “Global Understanding” do not include a balanced view of American history.
In this discussion we’ll consider what these 6 documents tell us—or don’t—about our country’s past, present and future. Participants should read some or all of them and come to offer their thoughts on the values, statements, viewpoints, and arguments in the documents. What essential messages do they include? What isn’t there and should be? And why?
Walter Harrison is President Emeritus of the University of Hartford. He served as president from 1998 until 2017, a period of growth, vitality, and transformation of the University. As the longest-serving president in the University’s history, he oversaw a dramatic improvement in the University’s financial stability, a near tripling of the University’s endowment, and a transformation and re-design of the University’s campus, constructing or renovating 17 different University buildings during his tenure. Most importantly, he oversaw a significant growth in the undergraduate and graduate student population, new professional programs in architecture and the health sciences, and a noticeable improvement in the rigor and quality of the University’s academic offerings. The University’s libraries are now named for him, to recognize his devotion to the life of the mind.
Tuesday, Oct. 8 | 11 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | KF Room/Harrison Libraries | $20
Brought to you by the Presidents' College, where we connect the curious through lifelong learning.
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Faculty and staff are eligible to take one Presidents' College lecture for free every semester, or to receive a one-session discount ($20) for a longer course. Contact Laurie Fasciano at fasciano@hartford.edu or 860.768.4495.