Colonial Williamsburg hosts naturalization ceremonies twice a year. The following remarks were delivered by Elisabeth Reiss, wife of the Foundation’s new president, Mitchell Reiss, at a recent ceremony at Williamsburg’s Capitol. Elisabeth Reiss was born in England and became an American citizen in 1998.…
Would you want this man on your jury?
Chief Justice John Roberts
The Washington Post reports that Chief Justice John Roberts showed up for jury duty today in the D.C. suburb of Rockville, Md. As part of the jury pool for a civil trial involving a car accident, the top judge in all the land filled out a questionnaire and answered a few questions from attorneys in the case.
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Happy Birthday, Justice O’Connor!
A 2007 visit to Williamsburg.
This week distinguished former Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor turned 85. In addition to being the first woman appointed to the court, Justice O’Connor became a crucial swing vote during her 25-year tenure.
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Fighting for more than freedom
Harvey Bakari
Who famously said, “As for me, give me liberty or give me death”? Harvey Bakari, manager of African American Initiatives, answers his own question. “It’s Patrick Henry. He’s a patriot. He’s in our history books. Everybody knows him.”
“Now,” continues Bakari, “imagine an enslaved man standing in the middle of Duke of Gloucester Street publicly proclaiming, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’”
It doesn’t sound quite the same, does it?…
You have to move your feet
By Barrie Moorman
Last March, I took my students to meet with Georgia Congressman John Lewis before we embarked on a week long journey to civil rights landmarks of the South. The respected veteran of the movement shared his insights and encouraged the students to fight injustice, telling them, “You have to move your feet.”…
The future of We the People
By Stewart Harris
In 1822 James Madison wrote:
“Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
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What the Opponents of the New AP Standards Don’t Get
By H. Michael Hartoonian, Richard D. Van Scotter, and William E. White
Recent events in Jefferson County, Denver, Colorado, underscore a misunderstanding Americans generally hold regarding the U.S. history curriculum. What’s happening in Colorado and in other states, such as Texas and Florida, highlights an essential question. Is American history a patriotic celebration? Or is American history a story that empowers students to become engaged citizens of our 21st century nation? The good news is that the confrontation puts history and civics in its rightful position at the center of the school curriculum. There is no subject more important to the future of the United States.
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Is Rolling Polling the Right Way to Vote?
An 1844 election poll lists how voters cast their ballots in a Senate race.
By Bill Sullivan
As Americans head to the polls today, much of the news coverage is focused on turnout. Inevitably the numbers will disappoint, at least in comparison with a presidential election year.
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What’s the big idea with Constitution Cafe?
By Christopher Phillips
Teddy Roosevelt asserted that “the people themselves must be the ultimate makers of their own Constitution.” How do you become a “maker” of the Constitution? Does that mean you have to be a Framer of the Constitution itself and set about revising it or amending it? Roosevelt, for one, meant that we each should be able to weigh in on what our Constitution means, on how it’s interpreted – to the extent that, if we the people differ in dramatic ways, we “should be given the chance… to settle what interpretation it is that [our] representatives shall therefore adopt as binding.”…
Help Re-imagine the Republic at the Constitution Café
Christopher Phillips
By Bill Sullivan
Christopher Phillips wants to get rid of the Constitution and start over again. Well, not exactly. But he does want us to think about what we would do if we could start over. The William & Mary alum (Government major, naturally) will be leading the conversation in a “Constitution Café” Monday, August 11 at 5:30 in Colonial Williamsburg’s Visitor Center….