We will explore the US Constitution, its ideological and experiential background, and its contextual meanings. We will discuss important constitutional concepts, such as popular sovereignty, republicanism, federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances, and the dangers the Constitution supposedly prevents. We will discuss the current challenges to the Constitution also. Class sessions: The Sovereignty of the People; A More Perfect Union; The Legislative Branch; The Presidency; The Judiciary and the Remaining Articles; The Bill of Rights and other amendments; and reading the Constitution.

Moderator: John Wilson is a retired attorney who has moderated numerous OLLI history courses including “Slavery and the Coming of the American Civil War,” “Reconstruction,” and “The Gilded Age.”