Day Fourteen - A Day Off...

Today was a much needed day off for all of us.  And we all spent it in our own ways.  Several rode up to Gettysburg, many went around DC in 100 degree weather, and others slept in and enjoyed a morning of no paper writing.  I chose to see some sights today, starting with the Capitol.  The Capitol building is immaculate.  The stories about the old House Chamber, the Freedom Statue on top of the dome, the Hall of Statues and more are engaging and well worth your time to hear.  I hope that if you ever go though, you get an engaging tour guide to make it worth your time.  The one we had today was completely aloof and uninspiring.  He wasn't even going to demonstrate the "Whispering Chamber" until someone asked about it.  (For those of you who don't know what that means, here's your chance to be a historical detective.)

Following our tour, I split from that group to join another group at the Smithsonian History of the American Indian Museum.  That is definitely a place to go see.  It's one of those places that people should go to visit, but can't fit it in with all of the other sights.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying its more important than the Lincoln Memorial or one of the other Smithsonians, but it is an example of a treasure that our capital holds that is under appreciated.  Challenge for you future DC travelers.  If you are a veteran of the DC area, and have seen the major sights, next time you come to tour, spend a day visiting places like the American Indian Museum or the African American Art Museum.  Take the road less traveled.  If you are planning a trip, and you have never been, or its been years, by all means, see the grand sights and revel in their splendor.  But take a little time to visit one of the lesser known sights and enjoy what else the city has to offer.

Finally, I went to the Holocaust Memorial Museum.  They have several exhibits that you can walk into, including a Nazi Propaganda exhibit that I hear is spectacular (though I didn't take the time to go in today).  But the permanent exhibit is, in my humble opinion, the best exhibit in DC.  It is well done, captivating, and will really make the history come alive.  This is a must see.

On a lighter note, I have noticed several quirks in the last couple of weeks.  The major one happened yesterday, when in the middle of printing a 10 page document, the printer decided to stop printing and start cycling and shooting out blank pages.  This has happened a few times in the last two weeks, though I have never had problems before.  Add to this that in the first week, the TV that I brought, thinking I was going to get cable, turned on automatically.  It was the strangest thing, because it too had never happened.  Then tonight, I went to do some laundry.  As I walked back to the elevator, I heard it ding as if it was on the basement level.  I hurried up to it and sure enough, it came down to the basement.  Only nobody was in the elevator, and the button had not been pushed.  So I have come  to the only logical conclusion: my room is possessed.  I say this because below my side of Copley Hall is a crypt.  They say that nobody is buried there, but none of us have seen it for ourselves.  Also, outside my side of the building is a small cemetery.  So it is perfectly logical to assume that supernatural forces are at work in my room.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Liz Todd is a junior fellow from Kentucky.  She has not taught in the United States yet, but has a year of teaching experience in France while her boyfriend was playing basketball in Switzerland.  That would be the gig to have.  Imagine taking a weekend or long break to travel in France, or go to Switzerland, Spain, Austria, or wherever else.  I am definitely jealous.

TOMORROW: Sleeping in, maybe to Ford's Theater and an Art Gallery or something, maybe hanging out here, or maybe the Kennedy walking tour of Georgetown.  Who knows?

Day Thirteen - Halfway there...

***Disclaimer - this post will be short.

We have made it through 2 weeks of the institute.  In two weeks, we will return to our spouses, families, and friends back home, not to mention the comfortable couches and beds in our own homes.  But we still have two weeks of great times to look forward to before then.

Today we turned our papers in, and we all felt a big weight fall off our shoulders.  I think the final products were a lot different than what we first envisioned, but in the end, we felt accomplished.  Today's afternoon lecture on "Visualizing Liberty: Symbols of the Revolution" was fantastic.  It is definitely something I can take back to my class.

After dinner, a bunch of us went out to celebrate.  We ended up at a karaoke bar, and had a blast.  Though we have had a lot of fun times, tonight we were able to kick back and enjoy.  It was a lot of fun.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Gonna hold off for one night, as I don't want to shortchange anyone.

TOMORROW: Capitol Tour in the morning, followed by the Holocaust Museum in the afternoon.

Day Twelve - Paper is Done...

Finally, my paper is done.  Over 2,700 words about republicanism present in the 17th century colonial documents and how they co-exist with monarchical rule of Britain.  

I have always performed better on papers at the last minute, when the pressure is on.  I was determined to break that through a systematic process of outlines and writing over time.  But wouldn't you know it, an addition made this morning, combined with a lunchtime chat with the professor, and a moment of inspiration tonight conspired to have me write/re-write huge chunks again, making some of my efforts to be early an exercise in futility.  But it is finished, and waiting for the grading of Dr. Dreisbach.

Facebook showed tonight a great relief out of many of my colleagues.  A couple mentioned celebratory libations.  I passed, citing karma in my decision.  The moment I step out of the room, my computer will crash and erase my flash drive, causing my paper to go down in a flame of bytes.  If I eject my flash drive and shut down my computer to mitigate the scenario, I fear a scene out of Final Destination 12 that sends a power surge through the printer, setting my desk on fire and scorching the flash drive.  I'm not superstitious, but I want to be cautious.

On a different note, it was an exciting day in DC.  The final 15 Supreme Court decisions were released today, though 99% of the population probably cannot name 2 of them.  But everyone knows the big one of the day.  We followed it closely, and went through a dizzying 15-20 minutes.  I was on SCotUSBlog when it was announced that the individual mandate was upheld, but the guy beside of me had his phone on CNN.com that said it was struck down in a "Dewey Defeats Truman" sort of way.  Then we heard 6-3, 5-4, and it took some time to parse through what it really means.  

In the midst of the celebration/moaning about the decision, take time to reflect on the course of the law.  Congress passed a major piece of legislation, with all of its pros and cons.  The law went into effect.  It was challenged in several states, some of which upheld it and some struck it down.  The Supreme Court reviewed the law, and made a decision on its Constitutional merits.  There is a civics lesson for you.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Brooks Etheridge is from Alabama.  He drove to Washington, DC via Cleveland, Ohio.  For those who are geographically challenged, that is the equivalent of going around to elbow to scratch your... well you know.  But he did it in order to work on a lifelong dream of his: to attend a baseball game in every stadium in Major League Baseball.  He added Cleveland prior to arriving in DC, and then marked Pittsburgh off the list last weekend.  I think he has a couple others on his agenda for the next couple of weeks as well.  I know that he is enjoying attaining his goal.

TOMORROW: Turning in the paper, then going to do something relaxing... don't know what yet, but I guarantee it won't be writing papers.

Day Eleven - Before the James Madison Board...

Today's schedule was different in that our meeting was held on Capitol Hill.  Today was the annual meeting of the James Madison Memorial Foundation's Board Meeting.  The Board, co-chaired by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), is made up of distinguished judges and university professors.  We met in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, in a large hearing room.  After some pictures with the Board, we got a chance to offer our thoughts and questions on the Foundation, the Fellowship, and civic education in general.  They were truly thrilled to hear what we had to say.

Everyone in the Fellowship has a love for what we are studying.  I get excited talking about Constitutional Theory.  Until this institute however, my thoughts about the Fellowship were centered around an ulterior motive.  In North Carolina, currently the only way I will get a raise in my paycheck is to attain my Masters Degree.  In a sense, I see this Fellowship as a means to an end.  It was only when I arrived on campus and met this great group of teachers and friends that I truly began to see this for more than that.  But it was today that it became very personal.  I heard other Fellows thank the Board for the opportunity to engage themselves in the program.  We heard Jim discuss how he was the first in his family to graduate from college, and this fellowship has allowed him to continue his education.  We heard from several who are sacrificing much more than I am through this program.  Many of them are studying at Ashland University, spending summers a week or more at a time to get their credits because they have no university close by that they can study the constitutional history as they want.  Today, the impact of this program hit me with such force as to render me speechless.

I have had many of my colleagues share with me that they like this blog.  A couple have said that it articulated what they were thinking about the experience.  Some say they have shared the link with family and friends to keep them updated.  If the comments are true, they are greatly appreciated.  If they are just saying it to be nice, I will take that too.

Today, I say thanks to all of them for showing and articulating for me the importance and impact of this program.  I cherish that as much as any knowledge and friendship I will leave here with.
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Following the meeting and our lecture on Religion during the Revolutionary time period, I decided to pop into my Senator's office with the slightest hope that she might be in and I could take a quick minute to meet her.  I did not contact Representative Kissell, Senator Hagan or Senator Burr prior to the trip, mainly because I was not exactly sure of the schedule that we would be keeping.  I am kicking myself for not even trying.  I did send emails this past Monday, but with their busy schedules and a week off next week, I'm not holding my breath.  But today, as we walked to the meeting room, I walked past Senator Hagan's office, and decided that I would just try.  It never hurts to ask.  When I went to her office, I explained to one of the staffers, and was told she was in a meeting.  He told me to stop back by later if I wanted, and there may be an opportunity.  So after indulging my sweet tea craving at a Bojangles in Union Station and taking a stroll across the Capitol grounds, I headed back to Hagan's office.  Unfortunately, I did not get to see her, as she was heading to the Capitol.  I thanked them, and then headed to the Russell Building to see if Senator Burr was in.  I struck out there too, although I did walk by Senator John Kerry's office, who is right beside Burr.  His office is immaculate.  I then made my way to the Metro back to DuPont Circle.  This morning as we headed to the Metro from Georgetown, I realized how close we were to Embassy Row.  So I decided to walk from DuPont Circle.  Embassy Row is a great place to walk or drive through.  I saw the Embassies for Turkey, Armenia, Burkina Faso, Tanzania, Niger, Madagascar, South Korea, among others.  I resisted the urge to walk into each one so that I could say I was officially on foreign territory.  About 40 minutes later I arrived back to the room to rest and change.  I was just getting settled in to start back on my paper when the fire alarm went off.  I just wanted to stay in my room, but I thought I'd better be on the safe side, so I headed down the stairs and out of the building.  Apparently some kid pulled the alarm on the 4th floor, inconveniencing the rest of us.  So the day has been go-go-go.

Fortunately, I'm seeing the light at the end of the tunnel on this paper.  Mainly some editing and rewording left, maybe some rewriting depending on what Dr. Dreisbach thinks of the paper.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Steve Cromack is a Junior Fellow from Boston, Massachusetts.  He is a student at Boston College University, and among the smartest people I know.  His ability to talk about any number of subjects without making you think he is a know-it-all is a valuable tool.  He told us that his perfect schedule once he is in the classroom would include 4 different preps.  Many of us have tried to talk him out of it based on the practicality and our experiences.  But talking to him has made me realized how much of a realist/cynic I have become in the last seven years.  The excitement I see in him reminds me of my first year.  I hope he keeps that spirit, and infects his students with that same passion.

TOMORROW: Normal class and finalizing the paper.  Then hopefully some stress free relaxation.

Day Ten - The Paper is Getting To Me...

This morning I awoke well before my alarm clock with visions of Vindiciae contra Tyrannos and republican principles running through my head.  I alertly woke up thinking that I need to write this down.  I looked towards the window and saw that the sun was not up, and so I reached for my phone to check the time.  4:00.  So I rolled back over, thinking to myself that I would remember these ideas when I got up, and could jot them down then while getting ready.  But the spirit of "consent of the governed" kept me restless, and finally at 5:00 I got out of bed and began working once again on my paper.  The good news is that I felt better about the direction my paper was going.  The bad news was that IT WAS 5:00 IN THE FREAKIN' MORNING!!  It was then that I realized the paper was starting to get to me.

Now, I am one of these people that writes better with the pressure on.  I have been known to bang out a 5-7 page paper the night before it's due.  However, since my grade is based on this paper and one other, much more deference was required.  Thankfully it has not hit me in the form of complete, pull-your-hair-out stress, but the seriousness and importance was now starting to cause some interruptions in my patterns of sleep and such.

It was interesting to talk with other Fellows about their papers today.  Some are putting the finishing touches on their final drafts.  Some are getting confirmation on their ideas, and are ready to begin the process of writing.  And some haven't given it a title.  For those that have started, the confidence in what they are writing  is becoming more evident after discussions with professors and fellow Fellows.  Worry has largely been replaced with assurance.  There is still some nervousness there, but every time a professor gives approval to an idea, we get a little more confident.

I have a feeling that Friday evening will be a matter of celebration for a lot of us.

Today was mainly spent on the aforementioned paper, though we had a good pedagogical seminar on how to use Supreme Court cases to teach Constitutional principles.  For all of you Social Studies people out there, please let me know if you would like some of the resources that I have.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Pete Bartels is from Saginaw, Michigan.  He is an avid runner, one of several we have in this cohort.  Yet he never seems to slow down.  He has energy galore.  And apparently after he told some of his friends about how busy we are staying here, I made him look like a liar by putting in one of the blogs that I took a nap.  As an apology for that, and a thanks for holding the door open, Pete, you are hereby mentioned in the blog.

TOMORROW: We are attending the James Madison Fellowship Board Meeting in the Dirksen Senate Building.  This is a big deal, as we will get a chance to meet the Board Members, including Texas Senator John Cornyn.  Following the meeting, we will have our lecture in the Senate, then return to campus, where most of us will get back to our papers.

Day Nine - What Made the Revolution Remarkable

Today's official topic was titled 18th Century Political Thought.  We discussed in lecture how many of the founding fathers blended ideas from three very distinct sources: classical republicanism as defined by ancient Greek and Roman writings, Judeo-Christian sources, and the British Enlightenment Liberalism by men such as Locke.  We traced how the major writings of those periods found their way into the rhetoric and ideology of the founders of the American system.  We discussed how taken these men where with Cicero, Locke, Aristotle, among others.  It was a quick overview (in the words of Dr. Morrison, "like riding a motorcycle through the Louvre"), but very instrumental in understanding how the American Revolution could have been so successful, yet the French Revolution flopped miserably.

But the buzz of the day came from the other discussions, particularly a question posed by Dr. Dreisbach.  It started with asking whether there was something unique about Virginia that men like Jefferson were able to write and inspire like they did.  Or as the question was reworded: Could Jefferson have been Jefferson if he lived in Georgia or South Carolina?  And then the question later became well, what made Jefferson and Madison such well-known and well-respected men from this time period?  After all, Roger Sherman was only surpassed by Madison and maybe James Wilson as far as contributions toward the Constitutional Convention (not to mention he signed both the Declaration and the Constitution) and John Dickinson contributed several important documents, even more than Jefferson at the time of the Declaration).  Yet history does not look as kindly upon these men as it does Jefferson and Madison, for better or for worse.

It is here where I find truth to the purpose of the Institute.  In my classroom, I trumpet Jefferson and Madison for their contribution.  I know that Sherman and Dickinson are important, but for what my students need to know in some curriculum written by some politician, Jefferson and Madison will suffice.  But I will walk away from here with a better appreciation of the background and importance of the time period, and an understanding of the men who risked everything for their (and our) country.

Now if I could only translate this blog post into my Essay #1, I would be set.

On non-class news, we got to meet an important figure on the Georgetown University campus:

J. J., the Hoyas mascot was on a walk, and we got a chance to see the little guy.  For a bulldog, that is a pretty good-looking dog.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Nancie Lindblom is an AP US History teacher from Arizona.  You can tell she loves her subject, as she wears it on her sleeve, or more specifically on her whole shirt.  She and I share a common bond: waaaaayyyyyy to many school t-shirts in our wardrobe.  Her AP US class shirts, especially those with memorable quotes (like "Lindblom and Prosper") have been a source of humor and distraction during the 1st week.  Maybe we should make a JM Summer Institute t-shirt?

TOMORROW: More class, more paper writing, and a 2nd pedagogy session, this one titled Teaching the Constitution Using Supreme Court Cases.

Day Eight - The Paper

After spending a good chunk of yesterday actively NOT thinking about the paper, I had to buckle down and work.  Earlier in the week, I decided that I would sleep in a bit, wake up and get to work.  But my conscience got the best of me, and I changed my mind to go to church this morning.  Ross and I attended the Georgetown campus of the National Community Church.  The church was located at the end of Wisconsin Avenue, across from Waterfront Park.  It was a good spiritual boost to start the week.

After we got back and ate lunch, I began working on the paper.  My style of paper writing is to create a rough outline with my sources, then turn that into paper form.  So as of this writing, I am at roughly 600 words.  What has stuck out to me though is how far I, along with many of my colleagues, have come in the last week.  Earlier, I spoke of the self-doubt that many of us were experiencing.  Now as we discuss our papers with one another, we are speaking with more confidence about what we believe and the interpretation we are taking.  Now don't get me wrong.  I am not saying that all of the sudden I am an expert in republicanism and the colonial documents.  But things are starting to make more sense to me, especially as I am making the connections between the essay question, the readings and our lecture/discussion notes.  I am feeling better about the paper (though that is like saying I would feel better about my ability to perform surgery playing Operation).  Still a long way to go, but I am getting there.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Kathryn Pruter is from Wanueta, Nebraska in the southwestern part of the state.  she teaches five different classes at her school, which is necessitated by the fact that she is the only social studies teacher at the school.  The high school has approximately 50 students.  I asked her about class size, and she told me that one of her classes last year had 1 student.  How's that for class size?  Of course, if the one student doesn't perform well, you could drop from 100% proficiency to 0%.

TOMORROW: Back to lecture... topic is 18th Century Political Thought.

Day Seven - Fellowship

Fellowship.  What an intriguing word when you think of it.  As we have heard in our lectures, words have certain meanings and we as scholars must understand what is meant by those words as we study.  Today, I have either used or experienced the essence of "fellowship" in 4 distinct ways.  What once was a low-key day has turned into a mind-exercising experience.


fel·low·ship/ˈfelōˌSHip/

Noun:

Friendly association, esp. with people who share one's interests. A group of people meeting to pursue a shared interest or aim.

Social:
The morning started with a trip to the Smithsonian Institutes.  Several of us decided that we would spend the morning visiting DC and seeing some of the sites.  Our travels took us to the American History Museum, the Old Post Office, and the Natural History Museum.  Aside from a new exhibit on Slavery at Monticello in the US History museum, there was nothing there that I haven't seen before.  But the trip was fun because I got a chance to talk to several of my fellow Fellows and get to know them.  Some of them were on their first visit to DC and the excitement of seeing certain things was contagious.  Even for us old hats, we got a chance to talk and share stories and talk about our lives, our significant others, our passions in a totally non-academic way (for the most part).  It was a chance to get to know them better.  Massachusetts Steve, Kelly, Liz, Danielle, Cindy, May, Jena, I enjoyed it!


Professional:
After arriving back to the dorm, I knew that I needed to work on my paper and take care of laundry.  I decided to venture into the basement with books in hand and work from one of the commons near the laundry room.  Apparently word has already spread around about that room, as a few Fellows were down there with the same idea.  So we talked about the paper some, and we definitely socialized a lot (maybe too much?).  But after I realized that I waited for my clothes to dry for an hour, but never started the dryer, I got a chance to talk with three of them specifically about AP Government and how they teach it.  The nuggets and tidbits that came out of that conversation were valuable, and will for sure help me to be a better APGoPo teacher.  Steph, Christopher, and Texas Jennifer, thanks for the tips and the ideas to make me better in the classroom.

Academic:
We are definitely here in Georgetown for a purpose, and that is a class called Foundations of American Constitutionalism.  To get those credits, we have a paper due next Friday.  Believe it or not, I did get a good chunk of work done on my paper.  But not only have I started to organize, outline and write, I was able to talk to others about interpretations and bounce ideas off of others in order to make my writing better.  A special thanks to May for passing on some notes and ideas, but also thanks to all of the Fellows who I spoke to today in regards to the paper.

Intellectual:
As you can tell, some of these overlap.  That was true of the end of the evening.  I went with a small group to the Epicurean for what started as social time.  As we sat around the philosopher's table (I should note, I call it that because when I have drinks, I am more susceptible to discussing deep matters of religion, politics, philosophy, etc.), the conversations turned to philosophy, religion, and politics.  Now, I have great, deep, meaningful conversations with my wife.  I have great, deep, meaningful conversations with my family, friends and colleagues.  But there is something to be said for have these deep discussions with new friends, particularly ones that you can agreeably disagree with (at least mostly agreeable, right Cindy?).  To Massachusetts Steve, Delaware Steve, and Cindy, a toast to all of you for great intellectual conversation and debate!

Though fellowship is defined pretty succinctly above, it manifests itself in a host of ways.  I got a tremendous opportunity to experience several of those manifestations today.  And it was a great day!

MEET THE FELLOWS: Yociel Marrero is one of our Cuban Fellows this year.  He is an academic from Havana, who has traveled to the US previously to UC-Berkeley among other places.  It was cool to hear him discuss about his travels, and I will always remember his comment at Arlington.  As the mast of the USS Maine was pointed out, and described as the ship in the Spanish-American War, he raised his hand and asked, "You mean the Spanish-American-Cuban War?"  And he is absolutely correct.  In our American-centered education, we sometimes forget about all that is involved.

TOMORROW: A church service, followed by a lot of writing.

Day Six - A Day in the Life of Two Presidents

Today we spent the day in the historical presence of two great Presidents, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.  I was particularly excited to see Monticello, as I have a great admiration for Jefferson.  I don't agree with all of his religious beliefs, but I admire his passion and desire for learning.  The man was truly a Renaissance Man, rivaled only by Benjamin Franklin (in my humble opinion).

Monticello is an amazing place.  You get a glimpse into Jefferson's mind based on the way the house is constructed and decorated.  From the "classroom" in his front lobby to the use of space in the house to his grand library, his eclectic set of skills is highly visible.

One of the most impressive things about Jefferson is pictured above.  On his tombstone, he could have remarked about his time as a President, Vice President, Secretary of State, Minister to France, Governor of Virginia, Representative in Williamsburg, or one of his many other accomplishments.  Yet, he chose to note the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the penmanship of the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and the fact that he created the University of Virginia.  I think this says something about where his priorities lie: in securing civil liberties, guarding religious liberties, and promoting education.  A very powerful statement indeed.

Montpelier is a little different.  It is not as well enshrined as Monticello, but its education resources far surpasses that of Monticello (ironically enough).  Montpelier hosts weekend and week-long professional development for teachers in which you stay on the grounds.  A couple of teachers told me how cool it is to study there, then in the evening, sip on a beverage of choice while sitting on the steps of the house.  That is definitely an experience that I would like to enjoy one day.

In both places, I got that tingling sensation when walking in the houses, knowing that those two men, so famous in our nation's history, stood in those same spots.  And even more so when we sat in the exact room where Madison penned the Virginia Plan which became the basis of the US Constitution.  To know I sat in the same room that such history was created is a truly unique feeling.

Both houses got me to thinking (for fun) about what my "estate" would look like if preserved for posterity.  Now, I am nowhere near important enough for a foundation to preserve my belongings.  But when my grandchildren (or God willing, great-grandchildren) go through my possessions, what will I leave for them to know about me.  I think I have a pretty good selection of movies and I have a small collection of education and social studies related comic strips.  I am not advocating building a 5,000 volume library, or adding so much debt, but it does make me kind of think about what I will leave behind.  Of course, this last set of thoughts is probably a combination of little sleep last night, long day today, and sleepiness now.

For the teachers, some online video resources for you...
1- Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration (to the tune of It's Too Late by Timbaland)
2- The French Revolution (to the tune of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga)
3- 95 Theses (to the tune of 99 Problems by Jay-Z)
4- Women's Suffrage (also to the tune of Bad Romance by Lady Gaga)
5- The Trojan War (to the tune of Tainted Love by Soft Cell)
Thanks to Christine and Cindy for sharing!

MEET THE FELLOWS: Jena Burke is one of the several Junior Fellows attending this year.  She is working on her Masters, but has not started in the classroom yet.  She is from the University of Montana, which as a follower of Appalachian State University, I probably should not even associate with her, but in the spirit of the Fellowship, I will let that pass.  It's cool to see her (among others) who have never been to DC soak up the sights and sounds of such a great city.

TOMORROW: A tour of DC, and outlining Essay #1 for the class.

Day Five - Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God

Today's lecture was titled A Defense of Liberty Against Tyrants.  This phrase is central to any social studies teacher's discussion of the revolutionary time period.  We have been taught (and I continue to teach) that the protests of the American colonists was due to their perception of King George and his assault on the civil and natural rights of the people, which made him a tyrant.  But as I discovered today, if it was only that simple...

Dr. Dreisbach had us read Romans 13:1-7.  This was of particular interest to me, as our church spent 14 months on the book of Romans, a book that some scholars say is the "constitution" of the Christian faith (knowing what I know now, I may have some disagreement with the use of the word "constitution" there, but that's another discussion for another day).  Romans, and other sources in the New Testament, say that the civil government is established by God, and that the magistrates and officials are ministers of God.  It is the duty of the magistrate to follow the orders of God, and the duty of the people to obey (dare I say submit) to the magistrate.  Romans tells us that the rulers "are not a terror to good works, but to the evil" (v. 3a) and that "he is the minister of God to thee for good.  But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain...a revenger to execute wrate upon him that doeth evil" (v. 4).  Verse 2 puts it even more powerfully, "Whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God; and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation."  

Now, my initial interpretation of the Romans scripture was that Paul is telling the people not to rebel against the government, that they are held accountable to God only.  Dr. Dreisbach made the comment that maybe by discussing what a good and Godly ruler was, the people would understand that Nero (the Roman emperor at the time) was not that ruler, and that they could rebel.  That is a logical point, though I'm not sure if I buy it yet.  If Romans is the "constitution", then somewhere in Romans, it would have said, these are the times you may resist.  After all, the Old Testament is chock-full of stories of resistance (see: Moses, Daniel, Shadrach/Meshach/Abednego).  

At any rate, over time, through the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic counter-reformation, we find writing after writing on this very issue.  Luther promotes resistance (though clarifies to say don't resist against properly constituted authority), as do many others (Calvin, Tyndal, Knox, etc.).  In 1579, the Vindiciae contra Tyrannos is published.  Translated as A Defence of Liberty Against Tyrants, the purpose is to show when the ruler becomes a tyrant, and when it is permissible to rebel.  This is followed by Lex, Rex (or The Law and the Prince), and we start to see writings that will influence the English Civil War, which will have a direct effect on the mindset of the colonists in the Americas.  

After passage of the Declaration of Independence, a Committee of Three is assigned the task of creating a seal for the new United States.  Below is an artist's rendition of the seal Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin decide on.

So the thread took us from the civil leaders are ministers of God and are given authority by God to rule to open rebellion against tyranny.

So here is my conundrum.  For the purposes of this class, I follow the logic.  However, I feel that if I don't buy into the original premise that Romans may insinuate the permissibility of rebellion (or at least insistence), the rest of the line of thought may crumble (I don't know enough to say for sure though).  What I am sure of is that the American Revolution would not have been possible without Biblical and scriptural reference.  So my religious beliefs are in conflict with my historical beliefs.  Those that know my political beliefs know that I try to separate what I view as a religious issue from a political issue.  It is harder to do that with historical beliefs that I see to be true.  I guess I could reconcile the two by saying that the writers constructed their arguments based on faulty reasoning, but I don't know if I feel right taking that way out.  So I sit here and ponder this more...

I don't know if this makes any sense, but I do know that future posts won't be this full of lecture ideas and notes.

MEET THE FELLOWS: Ross Hill, my suitemate, is from Florence, SC.  He is married with two kids.  I swore that he was older than me, but his is a young'un at 26 years old.  He married his high school sweetheart in college in one of those fairy tale stories.  He is active in his church, and his Biblical knowledge has been very impressive and insightful, especially today.  

TOMORROW: Pictures and stories from Jefferson's estate at Monticello and Madison's estate at Montpelier!

Day Four - What a Relief...

Today was a complete relief for a multitude of reasons.  First of all, there was nothing scheduled after the afternoon discussion, so it gave me a chance to take a nap, and rest the soreness built from an hour-long basketball game Monday night and 3+ hours of walking around Arlington yesterday.  I commend those that at the end of the tour yesterday were still able to stand and walk.

But most importantly, I came to the realization for the first time that I fit here.  I'm not talking about fitting in the same way an eighth grade student worries about fitting in when moving to a new school in January.  So far I have not had someone knock the books out of my hand, or throw food at me in the cafeteria, or the myriad of other immature issues that middle and high school students face in this day and time.  The fitting-in that I am talking about, though, can be just as frightening for an adult.  It is the fitting-in that can cause us to stress out and break down...

It is the fear of self-doubt.  

As I sat in the midst of my colleagues over the first couple of days, I truly felt like the dumbest person here.  While that sounds strong, when compared to the thought process of other students that I was seeing in lectures and discussions, I doubted whether I had the knowledge and aptitude to claim a spot as a James Madison Fellow.  I knew that I could survive the four weeks, enjoy my time, and learn a couple of things new, while in the process earning some credits towards my Masters, but something inside me insisted that I am not of the level of my fellow students.  These feelings were compounded by the fact that I had little to contribute today.

But at lunch, and then after dinner, sitting at the philosopher's table at the Epicurean (okay, so while sitting at the bar with a beer in hand), I realized that many of us had the same thoughts.  The very guy that I listened to in small group and thought, "man, he knows what he is talking about" admitted that he told his wife after the first day that he was in over his head.  As we discussed this more and more, we realized that, to quote FDR, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."  There are days that each of us will feel ultra-prepared and days that  each of us will feel ill-prepared.  For some of us, the ill days will outnumber the ultra days.  But that does not mean we do not belong.  We are each here to further our education so that we can pass on our newly acquired knowledge to the students we will teach down the road.  

If I feel like I don't know up from down when reading one of the many early colonial documents that are on our plate, I can't allow doubt to have the opportunity to creep up.  I have to bolster that with a desire to learn and educate myself through the discussions going on around me.  And there will be a time in which my contribution will be that bolster for my neighbor.

In the end, every single one of us belong here, as we were chosen by the Foundation to be here.  To doubt that we deserve it, or that we can't handle it, is to tell the Foundation that they made a poor choice.  I'm not ready to concede that...

MEET THE FELLOWS: Stu Wexler is a published author and AP Government teacher (among other subjects) from New Jersey.  He is a basketball coach, and organized the first basketball game of the 2012 James Madison Summer Institute.  Upon first meeting Stu, it would be easy to say that Stu may have a bit of a Napoleon complex, as he is slightly vertically challenged.  However, that assessment would be dead wrong.  Stu doesn't put on airs to over-compensate.  He is a true competitor and is passionate in his pursuits.  He is truly a giant in that regard, and I'm sure that his students are inspired by his devotion.

Day Three - Walking Around Arlington

Allow me to start by saying a very happy anniversary to my wife Sarah.  For the second year in a row, I am in DC on our anniversary.  At least last year, she was here with me.  But she is special in that she understands and supports me in my grad school studies, and in all of my passions.  She is a wonderful wife, and the love of my life.  Thank you dear for who you are and what you mean to me.

Today was centered around class followed by a 3 hour walking tour of Arlington National Cemetary with Professor Ed Smith of American University.  First, the class, then the stories from the tour.

Class:
One thing I appreciated on the first day is that we got an opportunity to talk to and hear from most (if not all) of the professors.  Dr. Belz gave the morning lecture, then we broke into our small sections (each of us with one of the professors), then in the afternoon met with two other professors.  So my small section got to hear and discuss with each professor.  I wonder if the Foundation and the professors did this to keep us on our toes, or if you are a pessimist, keep us off balance.

Today, Dr. Dreisbach gave the morning lecture.  We discussed was is meant by English Common Law, and then tried to delve into why the colonists, who were in the midst of their "revolution" went back to this idea of a system of common law based on the English tradition.  Why not take the opportunity to start over?  Besides the practicality of immediately rewriting a legal tradition, we discussed the fact that the revolution was against the institutions that governed the colonies, not the traditions associated with them.

But Dr. Morrison took it a different way in the afternoon session.  He asked about the word REVOLUTION (n.), and particularly what verb is the root of the word.  All of us, being good history teachers, immediately said "revolt".  Of course, that is a correct answer, and certainly the colonies did revolt against the British, particularly Jefferson (a radical revolutionary).  But is there another possibility?  What about "revolve" which means return?  Could it be interpreted that the American Revolution is a return or reaffirmation of the principles of natural rights that the British Crown has gotten away from?  This idea can co-exist with the "revolt", but gives us a better understanding of the American mind.

Arlington:
Our tour was led by Dr. Ed Smith of American University (http://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/esmith.cfm).  Among his many achievements, he served as a speechwriter for Jimmy Carter, is responsible for getting a statue and memorial to President Lincoln in Richmond, VA, the capital of the Confederacy, and the reason that the World War II Memorial was situated in its place on the National Mall.  He is an amazing storyteller, a few of which I will share below.  His major point that he made to us is that nowhere else in the National Mall or Smithsonians can you tell many of the stories that can be told at Arlington.  The artifacts are elsewhere, yet the essences, the people themselves, are in Arlington.  When you find yourself at Arlington National Cemetery, don't just hit the highlights, dig into what other stories can be told and discovered.

-Thurgood Marshall is buried with several other notable Supreme Court Justices, including Burger, Brennan, Stewart and Holmes.  Ultimately, 13 Supreme Court Justices are buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

-Daniel "Chappie" James was the 1st African American Four-Star General in American history.  He was one of the Tuskegee Airmen who served in World War II.  He also served in the Korean War and Vietnam War.

-Though hard to see, the tall headstone in the back is that of boxer Joe Louis.  Louis was an African-American boxer in the 1930s and 40s.  In the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Hitler had to stomach the fact that Jesse Owens, a black man, won multiple golds against the German "master race".  But he took pride in the fact that the German boxer Max Schmeling defeated Louis in that same year.  In 1937, Louis got his rematch.  As he was getting taped up for the bout, President Roosevelt called him.  FDR told him to not think about this fight as a black man versus a white man, but as an American versus a German.  He then gave Louis an order, as his Commander-in-Chief... "Kick his @$$".

-Found on the back side of the Robert E Lee house, this is the original tomb of the unknown soldier.  At this spot are the remains of 11 Civil War soldiers.

Two facts that I found very interesting, especially when placed side-by-side:
     1- 60% of the battles of the Civil War were fought in Virginia
     2- Of the 500,000 free African Americans at the time of the Civil War (of 4 million blacks in America), the state with the largest number of free blacks was Virginia.

-The three pictures above are tied together as only history can do.  Two important notes for those that don't know their Civil War history.  Robert E Lee married into the Washington family.  Martha's first marriage produced two sons that were adopted by George Washington, and that lineage produced Mary Custis, later Lee's wife.  At the onset of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln personally asked General Lee to command the Union troops.  Lee stated that he could not raise his sword against his Virginian brethren, and left to command the Southern troops.


The first picture is the burial site of Montgomery C Meigs, and the sarcophagus of his son John.  John was a soldier in the Union army who was killed, not in battle, but murdered by members of the Confederacy.  Meigs was so enraged, he called the Secretary of War and demanded that Lee's property be taken and used as a burial site for Union soldiers killed in the war.  So Arlington was born out of Vengeance.  


Following the end of the Civil War, and the burial of some 80,000 soldiers, and after the death of Robert E Lee in 1873, Lee's son, George Washington Custis Lee (named after President Washington, which shows the reverence Lee had for the first president), argued that the Union had taken the land illegally and demanded it back.  After the Radical Republicans in Congress refused, Lee took the case to through the court system, eventually up to the US Supreme Court.  In 1882, the Court, by a 5-4 margin, ruled in US v. Lee that the land was in fact taken illegally, and should be returned to the Lee family.  Which meant that any person living or dead on the land was trespassing.  The Secretary of War, Robert Lincoln (son of President Lincoln) met with George Lee (son of General Lee) to determine what this ruling would mean.  Lincoln asked, "What would our fathers do?" to which Lee responded "The honorable thing."  Even though many Virginians hated him for it, George Lee sold the land to the government for $100,000 so that the resting place of so many would remain intact.  Because of his respect of the Lee family, Robert Lincoln decided that Arlington would be his final resting place, rather than joining his father in Springfield, Illinois.  


The Robert E Lee house is the only part of Arlington that is designated a National Park.  When the Lincoln Memorial was being designed, the question arose as to where it should be placed, it was determined that because of the connection between Lincoln and Lee is so strong, the Lincoln Memorial should be placed in line with Arlington Cemetary and the Lee House.  Hence the third picture, which shows the Lincoln Memorial, across Memorial Bridge from the Lee house, forever connecting the two.


Man, can history tell a story!!

Meet the Fellows: Rachel Kohl teaches at Ket'acik & Aapalluk Memorial School in Alaska.  The school and village is made of Yupik Eskimos.  Her village is not accessible by car, only by bush plane or boat.  They do have roads, however, so that the snowmobiles and four-wheelers can get around.  


TOMORROW: Class is the only thing on the agenda, and I hope to get back to more of a reflection on my observations of the experience, other than material class lessons.

Day Two

Today was the first day of actual classes.  This is the feeling-out period.  Many of us were thinking the same thing as we walked into Healy 103... "What does the professor expect of me?  Is it safe to speak up?  Did I understand the material correctly?" and my personal fear "If I speak up, am I going to make myself look stupid?"  But we quickly learned that our professors are there to engage in intellectual discourse.  If they disagree with our assertion, then they will question or respond as such.  But the feeling remains that I am free to share a reasonable opinion without fear of belittlement.

Immediately you learned your classmates tendencies in the classroom.  We found the confident students who had a lot of thoughts and answers to share with the class.  We found the passionate students who quickly addressed issues or misrepresentations.  We found the philosophical students who enjoyed the discussion about more abstract ideas, and we found their counterparts who focus on the facts of the text itself.  All in all, I walked away with a sense of relief that I can hold my own in lecture and discussion.  I may not be able to formally debate many others, but I can follow along without a cloud of confusion circulating in my brain.

Today's topic was the Foundations of American Constitutionalism, an appropriate subject since it also serves as the title of our class.  In the midst of our discussion of what is foundationalism and what makes up constitutions and constitutionalism, Dr. Belz put forth a proposition.  He stated, "A constitutional foundation rightly conceived and properly executed is security against nihilism on politics and society."  While one could argue the definition of terms in the proposition, the idea that he wanted us to take away was that the statement in quotes is a PROPOSITION, and you treat a proposition by removing the quotes, debating the merits and the qualifications involved, and work to prove it as a true or false statement.  While the previous quote may be read as OPINION, removing the quotes and raising the discourse to the level of knowledge using fact makes it a proposition that can be argued.  If only we would treat opinions with the same dignity, how much better would the world be.

For you non-history/political science people, here are my non-class activities and thoughts:
     -I took a walk with another student down to the C&O canal that runs beside Georgetown.  This canal runs from the Chesapeake to the Ohio River (hence the name) and features some beautiful scenery and walking trails.  It is below the street level Canal Road, and gives a nice change of scenery.
     -The Tombs is one of Georgetown's famous bars.  The staircase beyond the street door take you down to a basement level where the bar and restaurant is.  The Tombs Ale on tap is a good beer.  It's a darker ale similar to a Sam Adams, without all the hops.  If you find yourself in Georgetown, visit here.
     -The food in Georgetown's Leo's Dining Hall is pretty good.  Spaghetti and meatballs were on the menu for lunch and dinner featured fried chicken and ribs.  I will be gaining weight eating 3 meals in the dining hall.

Meet the Fellows: Cindy Burgett teaches 8th Grade Civics in Fairfax County, Virginia.  She has a passion for the subject that has kept her at the middle school level.  She runs the We The People Club for her school, and has competed at the State Competition, finishing 2nd in the state in both of her years of competing.  She is studying for her Masters in History at George Mason University, and is attending the Summer Institute this year even though she just received the Fellowship this past April (unlike most of the rest of us who are in the 2011 class).

TOMORROW: A report on our 3 hour walking tour of Arlington National Cemetery with Professor Smith from American University.

Dorm Life and Getting Started

On Saturday, I returned to dorm life for the first time since my college days.  I moved in to Copley Hall at Georgetown University into a double-occupancy dorm room.  I am here for my Summer Institute with the James Madison Fellowship.  For those of you who do not know, the James Madison Fellowship is awarded to approximately 50 social studies teachers across the nation each year.  The Fellowship is designed to give teachers a stronger background in Constitutional history and theory.  $24,000 towards a graduate degree is also an attractive incentive.  As part of the Fellowship (and 6 credit hours), each Fellow must attend a four-week summer institute.  The institute is intensive, as we have 7 books and a 400 page coursepack to go through.  However, the fact that I can study in our nation's capital is exciting...

...but there is the issue of the dorm life.  

I am in a double-occupancy room (fortunately by myself) connected to a second room by a shared bathroom.  It is your typical dorm setting, with two beds, two desks, two dressers, and two "closets".  The paper thin sheets and scratchy bath towels add to the humble settings.  I wasn't expecting a 4-star hotel, but in all my preparations for this institute, confining myself to a 14' x 14' room was not a part of that.  

As I sat at my computer, listening to the hodgepodge that is my iTunes, and working on the first set of discussion questions, I reflected on my "predicament".  I feel like the scene in Dead Poets Society where Neil visits Mr. Keating in his room to discuss his love for acting, where Keating has to move books out of the way for Neil to sit.  And I realized I have a golden opportunity.  During these next four weeks, I can study with some amazing colleagues from all over the country (and Cuba!), enriching my intellect with their thoughts and interpretations of books like The Founding Fathers Reconsidered by R. B. Bernstein, and discussing the educational successes and challenges from their districts, and not be distracted by (many of) the modern conveniences that eat into my day.  

I will definitely miss my wife over these weeks, but am comforted by the love and support she provides.  I will miss mindlessly watching my favorite shows.  I will miss the minor events in the world of sports.  But I believe these next four weeks will be an incredible experience that I want to take advantage of.

TOMORROW: Day One of classes, and the first of the Meet the Fellows!