| This week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal begins with an original op-Ed at RealClear’s American Civics portal, “Finding the Mean Between Political Extremes,” by professors Jeffrey Poelvoorde and Bradford Wilson, the executive director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University. They argue that increasing polarization threatens American self-government. “The strains in our social and political fabric caused by the pandemic, by reactions to the death of George Floyd, and by the bitter election of 2020,” they write, “have also helped to weaken tolerance and respectful discourse.” Putting most of the political blame on Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Presidents Biden and Trump, they write that each has contributed to the worsening of discourse and our joint ability to govern. They conclude, “Our ability to find a confident American political center between the paranoia of the Right and the Stalinism of the Left hangs on the ability and willingness of these pivotal individuals to summon the better angels of their nature – and help us to find ours.” Also at the American Civics portal, Robert Maranto and Craig Frisby highlight a black American hero who deserves national recognition: Marcus Foster. The “first black superintendent of a big city school district and one of the best educators of the 20th century,” Foster was a champion of “old fashioned values like hard work, self-help, and academic achievement.” He led “three all black inner city Philadelphia public schools, improving safety, morale, attendance, and achievement at each by giving parents what they wanted.” Shockingly, he was assassinated by members of the Symbionese Liberation Army (who kidnapped the famous heiress Patty Hearst) in San Francisco in 1973, ambushing him after a school board meeting. In the latest Claremont Review of Books, Christopher Flannery reviews Diana Schaub’s recent book, “His Greatest Speeches: How Lincoln Moved the Nation.” A professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland, Schaub spotlights three of Abraham Lincoln’s most crucial speeches: the Lyceum Address, the Gettysburg Address, and the Second Inaugural. Taken together, Flannery writes that these speeches reflect the ‘historical-conceptual constellation of Constitution, Declaration, and American Slavery, with which no one engaged more deeply than Abraham Lincoln.” Original Posts Robert Maranto & Craig Frisby, RealClearAmericanCivics Jeffrey Poelvoorde & Bradford Wilson, RealClearAmericanCivics Essential Reading Christopher Flannery, Claremont Review of Books Abraham Lincoln delivered versions of a “Lecture on Discoveries and Inventions” in several places in 1858 and 1859. That... In the News Samuel J. Abrams, Minding the Campus Patricia R. Doxsey, Daily Freeman Rhea Kelly, Campus Technology No Labels, RealClearPolicy Red Jahncke, RealClearPolicy Teresa Manning, Law & Liberty Erika Munson, Waterford School Abigail Streetman, Campus Reform Angel San Jaun, KFDM Chadwick Moore, Planned Man Cate Lineberry, History.com Philip Wegmann, RealClearPolitics Daniel Buck, National Review Steve McIntosh, Areo Bill Ryan, History News Network Stewart McLaurin & John Chuldenk, 1600 Sessions A donation from the Recording Industry Association of America to the Nixon White House, the White House Recording Library... Hannah McCarthy & Nick Capodice, Civics 101 The Supreme Court is considered by some to be the most powerful branch of US government. What makes it that way, and what... Allen C. Guelzo & Antonin Scalia, Madison's Notes Why should we study Robert E. Lee? Why did he make the fateful decision to betray his country? How should we judge Robert... Lucas Morel & Jeff Sikkenga, Ashbrook Can we save America? To answer this question, we must first consider another question that is causing much confusion and division... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories It's Friday, March 4, 2022, the day of the week when I pass along a quotation meant to be inspiring. ... It's Tuesday, March 1, 2022, State of the Union night – and the first day of Women's History Month. Two ... It's Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, the day of the week when I pass along a quotation meant to be inspiring. ... | 