Reviving the Constitution Video Series

Coming from the Kirby Center – Sept. 4, 2012

Constitution 201:
“The Progressive Rejection of the Founding and the Rise of Bureaucratic Despotism”

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Originally Aired on 1/30/10
Sponsored by the Kirby Center
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Online videos below. Agenda Scroll to bottom to order DVD.
Town Hall Reader: GREAT!

Session I: America’s Foundational Principles (On Hillsdale site)

Dr. David J. Bobb

This session examines the ten core principles of the American Founding–all of which are as true today as 220 years ago.

David J. Bobb is director of the Allan P. Kirby, Jr. Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship, and lecturer in political science at Hillsdale College. He also is founding director of Hillsdale’s Charles R. and Kathleen K. Hoogland Center for Teacher Excellence, a national civic education program launched in 2001. He earned a B.A., summa cum laude, from Hillsdale College, and a Ph.D. in political science from Boston College. Dr. Bobb is the author of several white papers published by the Boston-based Pioneer Institute, where he served as a research associate, and has also published articles in the Washington Times, Boston Herald, The American Spectator, Modern Age, Perspectives on Political Science and the Claremont Review of Books.

The Constitution Town Hall took place January 30, 2010 in Chantilly, VA; over 30,000 people  participated in the live audience and via live web streaming.

Session II: The Founders’ Constitution (On Hillsdale site)

Dr. Matthew Spalding, Adjunct Fellow, Kirby Center; Director, Simon Center for American Studies, Heritage Foundation

This session explores how citizens should understand the plain, written meaning of the Constitution.

Matthew Spalding is director of the B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies at The Heritage Foundation, where he is also project leader of the First Principles Initiative. The mission of the Center for American Studies is to teach policymakers and political leaders about the principles of our political tradition and to explain the continued relevance and application of those principles in 21st-century America.

Dr. Spalding earned a B.A. from Claremont McKenna College and a Ph.D. in Government at Claremont Graduate School, and has taught at Hillsdale  College, Claremont McKenna College, The Catholic University of America and George Mason University. He is the author  or editor of several books, including We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our  Future, The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, The Founders’ Almanac, and Patriot Sage: George Washington and the  American Political Tradition. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel.

Session III: The Constitution and the Civil War (On Hillsdale site)

Dr. Paul Moreno, Senior Fellow, Kirby Center; Dean of Faculty; William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional History and Associate Professor of History, Hillsdale College

The Constitution endured its greatest crisis in the Civil War. This session gives an account of Abraham Lincoln‘s statesmanship and constitutional efforts to preserve the Union.

Paul Moreno is William and Berniece Grewcock Chair in Constitutional History, Dean of the Faculty, and Associate Professor of History at Hillsdale College. He is a senior fellow with the Kirby Center. Dr. Moreno earned a B.A., magna cum laude, and an M.A. at the State University of New York at Albany, and a Ph.D. in history from the University of Maryland at College Park. Dr. Moreno is the author of Black Americans and Organized Labor: A New History and From Direct Action to Affirmative Action: Fair Employment Law and Policy in America. He has published widely in journals such as the Law and History Review, the Journal of Southern History, and the Journal of Policy History.

Session IV: The Progressives’ Constitution (On Hillsdale site)

Dr. Ronald Pestritto, Senior Fellow, Kirby Center; Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution and Associate Professor of Political Science, Hillsdale College

Rejecting the principles of the American founders, the Progressives advanced political and moral “values” in their place. This session, emphasizing the thought of Woodrow Wilson, examines the Progressive movement and its understanding of the Constitution.

R. J. Pestritto is Charles and Lucia Shipley Chair in the American Constitution and Associate Professor of Political Science at Hillsdale College. He is a senior fellow with the Kirby Center. Dr. Pestritto earned a B.A., magna cum laude, at Claremont McKenna College, and an M.A. and a Ph.D. in government at the Claremont Graduate University. He is the author of Woodrow Wilson and the Roots of Modern Liberalism, the editor of Woodrow Wilson: The Essential Political Writings, and the co-editor of American Progressivism: A Reader; Challenges to the American Founding: Slavery, Historicism, and Progressivism in the Nine?teenth Century; and The American Founding and the Social Compact. He has also written for The Claremont Review of Books and The Wall Street Journal. He is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel.

Session V: The Administrative State and the Duties of the Citizen (On Hillsdale site)

Dr. Larry P. Arnn, President, Hillsdale College

The administrative state–more than just “big government”–advances a theory of human nature and the rule of experts. How should citizens think about the Constitution in an age that largely ignores it? And how can they act upon the constitutional principles on which the country was founded?

Larry P. Arnn is the twelfth president of Hillsdale College. He received his B.A. from Arkansas State University, graduating with the highest distinction. He received an M.A. in Government and a Ph.D. in Government from the Claremont Graduate School. He also studied in England from 1977 to 1980, first as a research student in International History at the London School of Economics, and then in Modern History at Worcester College, Oxford University. While in England, he also served as director of research for Martin Gilbert, now Sir Martin, of Merton College, Oxford, and the official biographer of Winston Churchill.

He returned to the United States in 1980 to become an editor for Public Research, Syndicated, and from 1985-2000 he served as president of the Claremont Institute, an education and research institution based in Southern California. While at Claremont, he was the founding chairman of the California Civil Rights Initiative, which was passed by California voters in 1996 and prohibited racial preferences in state hiring, contracting and admissions.

Dr. Arnn is on the board of directors of the Heritage Foundation, the Army War College, the Henry Salvatori Center of Claremont McKenna College and the Claremont Institute. Published widely in national newspapers, magazines and periodicals on issues of public policy, history and political theory, he is the author of Liberty and Learning: The Evolution of American Education, published by Hillsdale College Press in 2004.

Reviving the Constitution

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Now Available on DVD and online video 

The entire program of Reviving the Constitution is available for free online viewing, courtesy of the Kirby Center.

That resource is now available on DVD. Perfect for viewing at home, in classrooms, or with church groups and civic associations, the two-disc DVD set is available for online purchase exclusively from the Hillsdale College bookstore. Containing almost five hours of instructive content, the DVD set; may be purchased for $15.00 plus $7.99 shipping and handling. Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipment.

If you prefer to order by telephone, complete ordering information is available on the DVD Order Form. You can order by phone by calling 866-824-6831. Orders may also be placed by mail, using the DVD Order Form. Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipment.

If you have further questions, please e-mail kirbycenter@hillsdale.edu