Hillsdale College and the Constitution: A Commitment to Founding Principles
Hillsdale College, an independent liberal arts college founded in 1844 in southern Michigan, has distinguished itself through its dedication to a classical liberal arts core curriculum and its principled refusal to accept federal or state taxpayer subsidies. A key component of this curriculum is the study of the United States Constitution, a document the college views as essential to understanding American civil and religious liberty. This commitment is demonstrated through various initiatives, including the distribution of free Pocket Constitutions and comprehensive courses on the Constitution.
Hillsdale College's Dedication to the Constitution
Hillsdale College's commitment to the Constitution is deeply rooted in its mission and values. The college's Articles of Association emphasize a "sound" learning that cultivates both intellectual and moral virtues. This approach recognizes the inherent political nature of humanity, emphasizing that reason and speech enable social and moral development. Hillsdale believes that the political ideals of "civil and religious liberty" were first realized in the United States, and the college has consistently demonstrated its loyalty to the nation.
The college's historical actions reflect its dedication to these principles. The oldest building was dedicated on the Fourth of July in 1853, with a speech emphasizing the relationship between freedom and education. Hillsdale students have served in the nation's wars, with approximately 400 young men fighting for the Union in the Civil War-the highest percentage from any non-military school in the North. These actions are the result of teaching the Constitution as part of the core curriculum, encouraging students to thoughtfully engage with the nation's history and its foundational arguments.
Pocket Constitutions: Promoting Constitutional Literacy
One of Hillsdale College's most notable outreach efforts is the distribution of Pocket Constitutions. These small, portable copies of the U.S. Constitution are provided free of charge to schools and individuals across the country.
The college first printed the Pocket Constitutions in 2011 and has seen a significant increase in requests in recent years. Bill Gray, chief marketing officer and vice president for marketing, noted that "the increased interest in America's founding documents is a sign of the times." The Pocket Constitutions are used in classrooms nationwide, and even elementary school students have written letters to Hillsdale College to request them, demonstrating a growing interest in understanding the nation's founding principles.
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Curriculum and Constitutional Education
Hillsdale College integrates the study of the Constitution into its core curriculum, requiring every student to take a course on the subject. This course uses "The Reader," a compilation of essential texts and documents related to the Constitution. By studying the Constitution, students are encouraged to understand the place of man in nature and the meaning of the United States within the context of historical arguments.
Hillsdale College offers online courses, including "Constitution 101" and "Constitution 201," which are designed to explore the political theory of the American Founding and subsequent challenges to that theory throughout American history. These courses cover topics such as the natural rights theory of the Founding, the meaning of the Declaration and the Constitution, the crisis of the Civil War, the Progressive rejection of the Founding, and the nature and form of modern liberalism.
Constitution 101: The Theory of the Declaration and the Constitution
This course examines the indispensable connection between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Through twelve lessons, students explore the political philosophy of the American Founders. Key topics include:
- The Declaration of Independence - Universals and Particulars: Exploring the universal principles outlined in the Declaration and their implications for the form of just government.
- The Declaration of Independence - The Laws of Nature and of Nature's God: Understanding the “general rule” or first authority cited in the Declaration.
- The Declaration of Independence - All Men Are Created Equal: Discussing the implications of equality, rooted in the fundamental human capacity to speak.
- The Consent of the Governed: Examining the political implication of equality, that no one can rule without permission.
- Representation of the People: Understanding how representation applies the principle of the consent of the governed.
- Sovereignty and Power: Exploring the question of sovereignty in the United States and the sovereignty of the people.
- Reason and Passion: Addressing the problem of majority rule and the need for decisions based on reason.
- The Separation of Powers: Examining how the separation of powers protects against tyranny and preserves liberty.
- The Necessity of Virtue: Recognizing that the maintenance of free government depends on a virtuous people.
- Ballots Rather Than Bullets: Demonstrating the legitimacy of the American system through the election of 1800.
- The Problem with Big Government: Considering the challenge to the Constitution posed by proponents of big government.
- The Problem with Progressivism: Understanding how Progressivism seeks to replace Founding principles with context-dependent ideas.
Constitution 201: Challenges to Constitutionalism
This course provides a deeper dive into the challenges to the Constitution throughout American history. Through twelve lectures, students will examine the political theory of the American Founding and subsequent challenges to that theory. Key topics include:
- The Theory of the Declaration and the Constitution: Examining the timeless principles of the Declaration of Independence and their relationship to the Constitution.
- Natural Rights and the American Revolution: Understanding the principle of equality and its role in justifying the Revolution and creating a government to secure natural rights.
- Majority Tyranny and the Necessity of the Union: Exploring the failures of the Articles of Confederation and the need for a firmer union.
- Consent of the Governed and the Separation of Powers: Examining the institutional mechanisms, such as representation and separation of powers, to control the effects of faction.
- "To Secure These Rights": Property, Morality, and Religion: Understanding the essential actions government must undertake to secure natural rights.
- Slavery and the Roots of the Secession Crisis: Examining the survival and entrenchment of slavery and the rise of ideologies that rejected the principles of the Founding.
- Secession and Civil War: Analyzing the South's justification for secession and its erroneous reading of the Constitution.
- The Progressive Rejection of the Founding: Understanding how Progressives rejected the timeless principles of the American Founding.
- The New Deal and the Rise of the Administrative State: Examining how Progressives sought to circumvent the separation of powers.
- The Administrative State Today: Understanding how the modern administrative state transformed the American republic into an oligarchy.
- Post-Sixties Liberalism and Contemporary Politics: Analyzing the emergence of a new idea of justice based on a politics of liberation and social justice.
- A Path to Restoration: Exploring why centralized bureaucratic government remains unpopular and the path to restoring constitutional principles.
Progressivism and the Constitution
Hillsdale College's curriculum also addresses the challenges posed by Progressivism to the original understanding of the Constitution. The college argues that Progressivism represents a radical departure from the Founders’ principles, particularly in its rejection of the separation of powers and its emphasis on the administrative state.
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According to Hillsdale, early Progressive thinkers like Woodrow Wilson believed that the separation of powers prevented truly democratic government. Wilson advocated for separating politics from administration, with nonpartisan experts overseeing government functions. Franklin D. Roosevelt, influenced by Progressive principles, sought to redefine rights in terms of a changing social order, proposing an "Economic Bill of Rights." Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society, a logical extension of Progressive thought, aimed to eradicate external constraints on citizens' "spiritual fulfillment" through extensive regulations and programs.
Hillsdale College contends that Progressivism has led to a transformation of American political institutions, with Congress delegating lawmaking authority to regulatory agencies and replacing the consent of the governed with the rule of unelected, bureaucratic experts. The college also critiques post-1965 Progressivism for its relativistic orientation, which champions an understanding of freedom as "the right to define one’s own concept of existence." This altered Progressivism attacks traditional institutions and promotes policies that undermine the Founders’ conception of equality and rights.
In its analysis of Progressivism, Hillsdale College highlights the erosion of religious liberty and freedom of association, particularly through measures like the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and anti-discrimination laws. These measures reflect a new understanding of rights that rejects the Founders’ view of religious liberty and the freedom of private associations to govern themselves.
Restoring Constitutional Government
Hillsdale College believes that restoring constitutional government requires a return to the principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Despite the dominance of Progressive ideas in contemporary political discourse, the college points to the resonance of appeals to Founding principles by figures like Calvin Coolidge and Ronald Reagan as evidence of the enduring character of these self-evident truths.
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