Symposium at UW-Eau Claire on the Foundations of the First Amendment

The Jack Miller Center is partnering with the Wisconsin Institute for Citizenship & Civil Dialogue on a one-day symposium for Wisconsin social studies teachers at the Menard Center for Constitutional Studies at UW-Eau Claire.

This symposium will address the freedoms of expression and religion in the Colonial and Revolutionary Eras, before the writing of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Participants will examine protections for speech and the press in state constitutions, as well as the trial of John Peter Zenger and the writings of William Blackstone. The symposium will also cover the early legal history of the free exercise of religion and precursors to the Establishment Clause.

UW-Eau Claire professors Eric Kasper and Adam Kunz will lead primary source discussions on these topics, and JMC Teacher Programs Manager Emilee McHorney will lead a classroom application session about teaching primary texts, including those covered by the scholars, in K-12 classroom settings.

Participants will receive a $250 stipend for completion of the symposium. The program will run from 9 am to 3 pm at Centennial Hall on UW-Eau Claire’s campus.

If you have questions about the program, please contact Emilee McHorney at emchorney@gojmc.org.