On Thursday, February 24th, Charles R. Kesler, Dengler-Dykema professor of Government at Claremont-Mckenna College, delivered a lecture to more than 200 students and faculty in the Alkek Teaching Theater. The talk, “The Crisis of the Two Constitutions,” drew on Kesler’s recent book of the same title. Kesler contended that today’s polarization is driven by two conflicting understandings of the American constitutional order. One understanding centers on the founders’ original understanding of the Constitution as grounded in the political and moral vision of the Declaration of Independence. The other interpretation emerges out of late nineteenth and early twentieth century progressivism (in particular, the thought of Woodrow Wilson) and views the Constitution as a living, evolving document which ought to adapt to meet modern political needs. In the body of the lecture, Kesler laid out both understandings and explored their strengths and weaknesses.
In a follow-up seminar the next day, Kesler met with twenty political since majors to discuss “New Currents on the American Right and Left.” The seminar explored how, on the left, American liberalism has changed in the course of the twentieth century and how, on the right, debates rage among conservatives about what they are trying to conserve and how to address contemporary challenges.
One attendee praised the thoroughness of Kesler’s presentation of the issues noting that he “reflected on many parts of the problem” and “painted a complete picture.” He also praised “the depth” of Kesler’s analysis. Another student focused on Kesler’s virtues as a lecturer, calling his speech “engaging” and “full of vivid turns of phrase.”
Dr. Kesler’s lecture and seminar were sponsored by the department’s ongoing Discourse in Democracy project and were made possible by a generous grant from the Jack Miller Center for Teaching America’s Founding Principles and History.
