Founding
Montpelier Weekend Seminar - Founding
The United States Constitution was an innovation in many respects, but innovations do not occur in a vacuum. The Framers of the Constitution sought to incorporate the best of the history and theory of republican government into their new plan. Yet they did not allow this "decent regard" for antiquity or custom "to overrule the suggestions of their own good sense, the knowledge of their own situation, and the lessons of their own experience" (Federalist 14). The Constitution is a work of political prudence: a union of sound theoretical principles combined with a sober appraisal of America's unique circumstances. This seminar explores the founding principles of the American Constitution, how these principles informed the making of the Constitution, and how they have been subsequently interpreted and applied.
Apply Online!
Apply online for the Montpelier Seminars and take our free online course on the Constitution.
Founding Sample Agenda
View a sample agenda from past programs. Though the actual schedule for future seminars may differ, the essential components of the program will remain the same.
Founding Seminar Readings
All reading materials are provided in advance of the seminar; however, participants are not expected to complete all of the readings beforehand. A few key selections should be read in advance, but most of the texts will take on a greater significance when they are read and discussed as a group. Click here to view the complete list of readings.
Seminar Scholars
Dr. Lynn Uzzell received her Ph.D. in politics at the University of Dallas, and bachelors degree at Black Hills State University. She has taught extensively about the Constitution and is an expert on the Constitutional Convention. Dr. Uzzell was a post-doctoral fellow in the Constitutionalism and Democracy Program at the University of Virginia and is serving as Veritas Fund Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at the John Marshall Center for the Study of Statesmanship in the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond.
