Earlier this semester we had the opportunity to host Dr. Andrew Cayton at the McConnell Center. He led the Scholars in a very interesting seminar entitled "Power, Persuasion and the Origins of the Imperial Republic." It caught my eye at first because of the readings that he sent us to prepare. Federalist #10, Thomas Jefferson's First Inaugural Address and Washington's Farewell Address. I've always been interested in the period of our nation's founding, so I joined the seminar.
I was pleasantly surprised with how the discussion related to the modern day, and essentially of how our nation continues to evolve. Dr. Cayton said "Part of the vitality of the American experiment is that it's still an experiment." Not only did that help to put into perspective just how immense the task of creating an enduring constitution was, but it also highlighted the fact that it is still ultimately just a "parchment barrier," as Madison noted so many years ago. The government is able to operate because we, as citizens, give meaning and power to the constitution, which binds our leaders.
I thought that another key element of the seminar was his comment about the words "All men are created equal." We know that this was not necessarily put into practice when the words were written, as slavery was still in full force. Some propose that many of the Founding Fathers were hypocritical, to say the least. However, Dr. Cayton interpreted it in a different way. He argued that those words set the American ideal, which would evolve over time. It was truly radical at the time, and it would take centuries before all men could experience equal rights, but it set the foundation upon which to build. Again, the Founders had to start from scratch on nearly everything that they did. They set the precedent that we still refer to today.
There were many other engaging conversations within our seminar, and I was fortunate enough to have been able to further my knowledge about one of my favorite periods in American history.