Secretary of Education Linda McMahon will join Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn at Hillsdale in D.C. on March 13, as a part of a series of events meant to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, with events such as the geopolitical context of the Revolutionary War, constitutional interpretation, and classical architecture.
The event series began in early February and will continue until mid July.
“We’re calling it ‘Education in America at 250,’” said Shaun Rieley, director of educational programs and teaching fellow. “It’s going to be a sit-down conversational fireside chat with the current secretary of education asking her about her thoughts on education and how that can help to sustain our country and perpetuate its institutions, and that sort of thing.”
The first event, titled “The Making of the American Mind” by Matthew Spalding, vice president of Washington operations and dean of the Van Andel Graduate School of Government, was hosted on Feb. 11.
“At Hillsdale in D.C., we seek to equip citizens and statesmen to restore America’s founding principles and revive American self-government,” Spalding said in a press release. “Through these events, we will look at what made America great and what we are trying to restore.”
Rieley is heading the initiative and said he wants to target a well-read, educated, interested public. The events are public and will be advertised to the Hillsdale in D.C. email list.
“We wanted to do something that was meaningful and distinctly Hillsdale D.C.,” Rieley said. “A lot of big institutions around town have their own initiatives, and we wanted to do something unique.”
Rieley said Hillsdale in D.C. decided that, as part of a college, it would lean into the education side of the anniversary and crafted a lecture series surrounding the Founding.
“Many of our students are working in D.C. in positions of leadership and influence, whether it’s in the administration, on the Hill, in think tanks, or developing policy,” Rieley said. “So we are uniquely positioned to speak about the direct mechanisms of governance and to apply some of these more philosophic, more theoretical ideas in practical ways.”
In the first lecture, Spalding talked about his recent book, “The Making of the American Mind: The Story of our Declaration of Independence.”
“During the event for his new book, Dr. Spalding guided our attendees through thoughts and debates that gave rise to our Declaration of Independence,” said Andrew Heim, executive director of Washington operations. “It’s a beautiful story, and every American should hear it, know it, and share it.”
Rieley agreed and said the talk was a successful kick off.
“There was a lot of anticipation there because it is the 250th anniversary of the country, but also because we had just moved back into our newly renovated facilities, and Dr. Spalding’s book came out at the same time,” Rieley said. “That worked out really nicely.”
Hillsdale in D.C. will host Hillsdale College Professor of History Dave Stewart on March 9 in conjunction with the Center for Military History and Strategy to assess the American Revolution as a military venture, and how this influenced the economy, according to Rieley.
This lecture will be titled “‘No Man Will Think Himself Bound to Fight’: The Crises of Supply During the American Revolution.”
The Center for Military History and Strategy with the D.C. campus to provide “The Revolutionary War in Its Geopolitical Context: The Contributions of the Dutch, the French, and the Spanish to the American Victory” by University of Virginia Professor of History Andrew O’Shaughnessey on April 13.
Another lecture, titled “Readers and Leaders of Revolutionary America,” will focus on the Founding Fathers’ libraries. This lecture will be given by University of Central Oklahoma Emeritus Professor of English Kevin J. Hayes on April 27.
Other events in the series include “The American Book of Fables,” “The Music of the Revolution,” and “Classical Architecture and the American Idea.”
Each lecture brings in a leader in a field of study relating to the Revolution, according to Rieley.
The Hillsdale D.C. leadership is putting together ideas for the lecture series and may host 250th anniversary events in addition to those currently listed in the press release, Rieley said.
“I hope people leave Hillsdale’s D.C. campus and events with a renewed appreciation for our country’s history,” Heim said. “I want people to fall in love with America again.”
