America's 250th Lecture Series: The Federalist Papers: Road to Ratification and How These Papers Helped Define the Constitution

What they were and how our government was to work according to the founders. Much is known and discussed about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, but why are the Federalist Papers often neglected, or treated as an afterthought? After all, it was these papers and their three authors who sold the new government to the people and explained how it was to work, yet they go largely ignored. 

America's 250th Lecture Series: The Bill of Rights (Part 2): How They Came to Protect Our Civil Liberties and Government Interfe

Learn what each of the first ten amendments to Constitution, our Bill of Rights, protects. First see what significant personal rights are protected and articulated in the first three amendments, then learn what rights of the accused are protected by 4-8, and what 9 and 10 protect for the states and how they came to apply to us. 

America's 250th Lecture Series: Supreme Court from 1987 to Present: Rehnquist and Roberts

During this presentation we will discuss The Rehnquist/O’Conner Court and how it provided middle ground and achieved strong acceptance by the nation. We will discuss how the Scalia/Ginsburg Relationship provided spirited debate of the issues, and how The Robert Court changed after they departed giving way to the... The Thomas/Alito/Trump Court – by taking a hard right. We will conclude with a look at what the future might hold. 

America's 250th Lecture Series: Supreme Court from 1789 – 1986: Marshall, Taney, Warren, and Burger

In this session we will discuss what the Constitutions says about what the Supreme Court is supposed to do. How it has evolved over time. Then we will discuss famous cases and incidents of several of the Courts beginning in 1801 with The Marshall Court through the Burger Court in the 1970’s including cases from The Taney Court, The Fuller/Harlan Court, The Hughes Court vs. F.D. Roosevelt, The Warren Court and conclude with The Burger Court. 

America's 250th Lecture Series: Inventing a Nation: The Constitutional Convention

What really happened during those 100 hot days in the summer of 1887 in Philadelphia? What was discussed and compromised to create a nation based on the “rule of law?” Learn the answers to these questions, then discover how it overcame significant obstacles in order to become the first Democratic Republic in over 200 years. 

America's 250th Lecture Series: Article III – The Judicial Branch: Power of Judicial Review and a Look at Articles IV-VIII

The judiciary is a co-equal branch of government. Where does the power of judicial review come from and how the court got the power to say what the law is? How do the courts operate? How does the Supreme Court interpret the laws of the land? 

America's 250th Lecture Series: America's 250th: - Struggles with Self-Governance: The Failure of the Articles of Confederation

In the late 1780s, our first national government was a spectacular failure and almost led to the dissolution of our new country almost before it began. Congress commanded little respect, with little to no support from State governments that were anxious to maintain their power. This presentation will explore why this was so, what prompted the states to agree to change, and how it occurred.