Revisiting the Founding Era at the National Constitution Center

On January 10 historians Carol Berkin and Denver Brunsman, community leader Farah Jimenez, and the Constitutional Sources Project’s executive director, Julie Silverbrook, gathered for a town hall at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to discuss the enduring themes of the Founding Era, and how educators and librarians can guide conversations about the nation’s founding in their classrooms and communities. 

The panelists focused on two primary sources from the Gilder Lehrman Collection: a 1787 letter from Mercy Otis Warren to Catharine Macauley discussing the US Constitution, written three days after its publication, and Alexander Hamilton’s 1791 Report on the Subject of Manufactures, in which he argued for the development of a strong manufacturing economy in the new country.

According to Berkin, the themes and debates in these documents are significant because the subjects remain relevant today, including the conflict between national and state power, the struggle between liberty and government control, and competing interests between diverse geographic regions.

Watch the entire town hall below:

This town hall helps kick-off Revisiting the Founding Era, an upcoming public library initiative by the Gilder Lehrman Institute and Library of America, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Up to 100 public libraries in the United States will be selected to host programs related to the American Revolution and the early years of the nation. Participating libraries will receive

• 10 copies of a 100-page reader containing selected documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection
• $1,000 to help implement discussion groups and other public programs
• Training, resources, and support 

Applications can be completed here and are due by January 31, 2018.