Friday, February 29 Morning Session

The morning session began with a discussion, led byFred Anderson, of war and how we see the United States relation to war, usually as liberators and on the side of freedom and liberty such as the in the revolutionary war, the Civil War and WWII.

Professor Anderson argued that many Americans have a problem explaining other wars that the United States is involved in, such as the Iraq war, because of how they view the revolutionary struggle. Anderson proposed that to begin with the war narrative should probably start not in 1763 with the end of the French and Indian War but at the beginning of the world's first world war. We should then describe how the patriotic British colonist, such as Washington, gladly participated in the war for empire. In this light, the road to independence can be more easily understood as a supreme betrayal London

The Symposium Begins

The symposium began with a public lecture by Joseph Ellis at the Smith Theatre on "The Story of the Founding Fathers" which was followed by a question and answer session with the audience.

In his discussion of the founding period Ellis spoke on the major achievements of the founding period, the major weaknesses and ??????

Major Achievements

1. A succesful war of independence against a THE superpower of the world at the time.
2. Creating the first large scale republic.
3. Creating the first secular state.
4. A political system of shifting and multiple layers of sovereignty, federalism.
5. Political parties that would mediate the decisions of the new republic.

Major Weaknesses

1. Not dealing with the issue of slavery.
2. Not dealing fairly with the Native-Americans.

The lecture was followed by a book signing and reception in the lobby.