Constitution 101 ... Thx Paul C!

Welcome to Constitution 101 Watch Lecture One "The American Founding: Revolutionary or Conservative?"    Overview: American political history is defined by three great crises. The first crisis was the American Revolution, which was declared on July 4, 1776 but whose roots can be traced back at least to 1763. That period of crisis ended with the election of Thomas Jefferson as president in what has become known as the “Revolution of 1800.”  The second crisis was the crisis over slavery that culminated in the Civil War. While the Founders had opposed slavery in principle, but had been forced to compromise with the institution in practice for the sake of the Union, the rise of the “positive good” school of slavery in the South marked a turn away from the Founders’ principles, and their practice. In response, Abraham Lincoln explained and defended the Founder’s approach.  The third great crisis, which continues today, is the challenge of Progressivism, a movement founded by Woodrow Wilson, Theodore Roosevelt, and others. The Progressives rejected the Founders’ principles, including their notions of a fixed human nature and inalienable natural rights.... Click here to continue reading If you would like help navigating this online course, please visit the help section. If you are unable to find the answer to your question there, please email onlinecourses@hillsdale.edu. Enjoy the course!     About "Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution" Taught by the Hillsdale College Politics faculty, this course will introduce you to the meaning and history of the United States Constitution. The course will examine a number of original source documents from the Founding period, including especially the Declaration of Independence and The Federalist Papers. The course will also consider two significant challenges to the Founders’ Constitution: the institution of slavery and the rise of Progressivism. Support Hillsdale Online Courses