Americans celebrate the Founders' ability to compromise that made up the Constitution of the United States. In this unique look at the Constitution, we will look at the nature of the compromises and the long term effects they have had on the civil rights of Americans throughout our history. Is the Constitution the shining beacon that Philadelphia's Constitution Center celebrates? Or is it, as William Lloyd Garrison once called it, "A Covenant with Death"?
Topics to be discussed.
The Making of the Constitution
• The Constitution as the first battle of the Civil War
• James Madison's Initial Plan
• The Compromises of the Constitution, including the 3/5th Compromise, the Electoral College, and the makeup of the U.S. Senate
• The Initial Results of these Compromises
The Civil War
• The Cause of the Civil War. (Clue - it rhymes with "bravery")
• Lincoln and abolition
• William Lloyd Garrison
• The Emancipation Proclamation
• The Gettysburg Address
• The 13th Amendment
Reconstruction to Today
• Dred Scott
• Plessy v. Ferguson
• Brown v. Board of Education
• Speeches by John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Barack Obama
All attendees will receive the course book as a digital download. Course materials are not available for separate purchase but a printed copy is available to attendees for $40. If you wish to purchase the printed version of the course book, please call PBI Customer Service at 800-932-4637.