Rethinking the American Declaration
Wednesday, September 18, 2024 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm CET/GMT+1Online (Zoom) + SR 4 (P98a)
PL 361 "The American Revolution Reconsidered" invites you to two conversations on Monday and Wednesday, September 16 & 18 at 17:30.
The American Declaration of Independence is the world’s first manifesto of equality and human rights that helped define modern politics and chart a new vision of humanity. It is also a people-building document that by proclaiming the North American colonies' separation from the British Empire, and asserting their political identity, set an example for anticolonial movements worldwide.
How does the Declaration reconcile its commitments to universal equality on the one hand and political sovereignty on the other? What is the relevance of these commitments to native peoples and enslaved populations in America and the world at large? How should we understand this document today and what is its place in the practice of liberal education?
On Monday, September 16 at 17:30 on zoom, Professor of Government and Ethics at Claremont McKenna College Yannis Evrigenis will lead a discussion about the intellectual foundations of the American Declaration and the meaning of its key concepts.
On Wednesday, September 18 at 17:30 in seminar room 4 (P98a), literary scholar and intellectual historian Geoffrey Harpham will help us think about the enduring significance of the Declaration and its relevance to the practice of liberal education.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
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