Vermont Humanities

A Dramatic Constitution

Image of preamble to the Constitution
Speakers Bureau

Image of preamble to the Constitution

Since its inception, the Constitution has been criticized for not doing enough to protect basic freedoms. Even with the addition of the Bill of Rights, slavery persisted. Abolitionists were divided on whether the highest law in the land could ever be redeemed. After William Lloyd Garrison publicly burned the Constitution at a rally in Framingham, Massachusetts, Frederick Douglass rebutted that political strategy. Why surrender these timeless words to the desires of wicked men?

Once again we are divided on the merits of the Constitution: can it redeem us or is it a convenient cloak for white supremacy? This presentation considers both arguments and then offers a third-way to consider the Constitution. Neither a divine document nor a tool of elites, the Constitution might also be seen as an invitation to develop the habits of political engagement through deliberation and adjudication.

Available in Correctional Facilities.

Additional Costs

Mileage

Special Arrangements

Projector with connector for Mac laptop

Booking a talk

First, contact the speaker by clicking on their biography below to confirm their availability and discuss any special arrangements.

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About the Presenter

Meg Mott

Meg Mott

After twenty years of teaching political theory and constitutional law to Marlboro College undergraduates, Meg Mott has taken her love of argument to the general public.

Talks by Meg Mott

Image of preamble to the Constitution

A Dramatic Constitution

We often are divided on the merits of the Constitution: can it redeem us or is it a convenient cloak for white supremacy? Meg Mott explains that the Constitution might be seen as an invitation to develop the habits of political engagement through deliberation and adjudication.

Minuteman Statue in Lexington MA

Do We Still Need an Armed Citizenry?

The right of the people to keep and bear arms has become one of the more contentious rights in American politics. Meg Mott focuses on the political theory behind the Second Amendment. How might pro-gun and anti-gun forces peaceably coexist? The goal of the talk is to take seriously an opposing point of view even if you can’t endorse it.

Vermont Humanities*** February 10, 2020