Mar 29, 2024  
2019-2020 Catalog 
    
2019-2020 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

HIST 312 - U.S. Constitution in Context

(4)
In a secret meeting more than 200 years ago, a small group of political leaders drafted a document that remains to this day the foundation of American government. In 1787, the U.S. Constitution explicitly permitted slavery, and it countenanced the disenfranchisement of all women and of men without property. Today, with its 27 amendments, it stands as the embodiment of American ideals and the most important unifying element in a nation that is increasingly diverse and at times deeply divided. This course will examine the text and interpretation of this remarkable document and the forces that have influenced its development and interpretation over the past two hundred years of our nation’s history. Fall.