2/6/2023

Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal starts with American Civics editor Mike Sabo’s feature article at RealClearEducation on the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education, a new institution at the University of Florida. According to inaugural director John Stinneford, a professor at the Levin College of Law, through the Center’s curriculum and programming, students will have the opportunity to gain the “knowledge, habits of thought, analytic abilities, and character that are essential for free citizens in a free society.” Promoting the habits of republican citizenship, foremost a culture of civil discourse, “is something close to Stinneford’s heart – in no small part because it is essential for maintaining self-government: ‘A willingness to engage with neighbors rather than canceling each other will prevent our system of government from breaking down, replacing democracy with chaos or dictatorship.’”

At The American Mind, Robert Curry argues that the thinkers of the Scottish Enlightenment had a big influence on the American Founders, which is demonstrated in a recent book by Andrew Browning. “Instead of striving for brevity,” Curry says that Browning “tells the story in remarkable detail.” “His 278 pages of close text and 45 pages of notes,” Curry writes, “are brimming with information and brilliant observations explaining the miracle that occurred in 1787 in Philadelphia. Understanding how it came about will only increase your wonder at what was accomplished there.” Curry hopes that Browning’s book will “set in motion a revolution in American education not unlike the one which gave us the American Revolution.” As Curry concludes, “Clear and readable, Professor Browning’s book is a must for anyone writing on or teaching about the American founding, especially at an advanced level.”