OSHER 230 - The Creation Of The American Republic

In dedicating the National Archives exhibit of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, President Harry Truman in 1952 warned that liberty "can be lost, and it will be, if the time ever comes when these documents are regarded not as the supreme expression of our profound belief, but merely as curiosities in glass cases." Today, most Americans know little about the content of these charter documents or the founding of their country. (We celebrate independence on the wrong date.) This course will bring to life the events, people, and values of the American Revolutionary era (1763-1789), a tumultuous time of protest, war, and innovative governance that not only created a new nation but also through its founding principles forever changed the course of human history.