LifeLong Learning - San Marcos
Come Learn with Us!

It is the genius of our Constitution that under its shelter of enduring institutions and rooted principles

there is ample room for the rich fertility of American political invention.

President Lyndon B. Johnson, State of the Union Address, 1966

 

We are exceptional not because of who we are but because of what we do and

how we put the ideals of human dignity, individual freedom, and liberty under law into action.

Historian Jon Meacham, Time Magazine, 2011

 

Course Description

On July 4th, our nation will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the first document the world had ever seen describing a new nation formed with the foundational principles of unalienable rights, equality, the rule of law, and limited government. Eleven years later, on September 17, 1787, the Founders signed the U.S. Constitution; it took effect on March 4, 1789, after ratification by New Hampshire, the ninth state required for adoption. The Bill of Rights – the Constitution’s first ten amendments – was passed by Congress on September25, 1789.

 

The meaning of these historic documents at the founding of the United States and their evolution over time reflect times of peril, confusion, animosity, and ambition. We have weathered many storms throughout our history and the aspirational vision of “a more perfect union” expressed in the Declaration and Constitution have served as touchstones of hope during turbulent times.

 

As we prepare to celebrate our birthday together during a period of uncertainty and division, this course will take us back to Government 101 and remind us of the content and meaning of the Declaration and Constitution. A collective understanding of terminology will help us better understand our system of government relative to other nations. A review of the Founding and our Constitution will focus on the concept of “enumeration” and the three separations of power: checks and balances, federalism, and individual rights.

 

Join us for this refresher course on the history of America’s journey toward a more perfect union!

 

Presenter: Dr. Kenneth Ward, Professor, Department of Political Science, Texas State University

Dr. Ward received his B.A. from Drew University, his JD from Yale Law School, and his Ph.D. from Columbia University. Dr. Ward joined the Texas State faculty in the fall of 1998 and specializes in Political Theory and Constitutional Law.