ONLINE: Founding Narratives: The Evolution of Ancient Athenian and Early American Democracy

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courtesy Wisconsin Academy

Center for the Study of the American Constitution founder and director John Kaminski.

press release: Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts & Letters Roots of Democracy Series lecture by Adriana Brook and John Kaminski.

The concept of democracy is constantly evolving. The framers of the U.S. Constitution had surprisingly diverse visions for American democracy, and found inspiration in multiple sources. including classical scholars from ancient Greece and the Roman Republic and the theoretical work of Enlightenment philosophers such as John Locke and Charles Montesquieu. 

Join the Wisconsin Academy via Zoom for a Roots of Democracy Series discussion with two historians who will explore the influence of these sources, as well as the compromises and unexpected solutions that ultimately shaped the American Constitution.  This online discussion and Q&A is open to the public with advance online registration (Zoom information is provided upon registration).

Adriana Brook is a former assistant professor of classics at Lawrence University. She will serve as an advisor and presenter on the topic of Athenian democracy and its parallels and distinctions from the American approach to democracy. 

John Kaminski is the founder and director of the Center for the Study of the American Constitution, UW-Madison. As a scholar in the founding era for American history, he will serve as an advisor and presenter on historic influences on the American Constitution

The Roots of Democracy series is funded in part by a grant from Wisconsin Humanities, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Wisconsin. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Wisconsin Humanities strengthens the roots of community life through educational and cultural programs that inspire civic participation and individual imagination.