freedom.ou.edu : Online civic education from the University of Oklahoma

Freedom 101.2; Ep. 8: Free Speech

rachellebarteau — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:32:29 +0000

Free speech: one of the signature individual rights. In this episode, Professor Lindsay Robertson explores the many types of speech – some of them deeply offensive – which are constitutionally protected. He considers the values which are enshrined in the First Amendment and what they mean in a democracy.

Freedom 101.2; Ep. 7: The Articles of Confederation

rachellebarteau — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:00:00 +0000

The Articles of Confederation are mostly famous as a failure which created a weak and ineffectual government, soon replaced by the Constitution. In this lecture, Professor Paul Gilje tells a different story, and tries to understand how, when seen in context, the Articles were an expression of the values that inspired the Revolution and can help us appreciate the politics of the period.

Freedom 101.2; Ep. 6: The Alien & Sedition Acts

rachellebarteau — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:35:04 +0000

In the aftermath of the French Revolution, the Adams Administration passed four notorious bills known as the Alien and Sedition acts in the name of protecting the United States. In this lecture, Professor Lindsay Robertson explores the ensuing controversy – a constitutional crisis that marked a formative test on the limits of federal power in the early republic.

Freedom 101.2; Ep. 5: Judicial Independence & the Impeachment of Samuel Chase

rachellebarteau — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 13:26:18 +0000

An independent judiciary has become a cornerstone of American liberty. In this lecture, Professor Rick Tepker explores the history behind the emergence of an independent judiciary in the US through the story of the impeachment and acquittal of Justice Samuel Chase.

Freedom 101.2; Ep. 4: The Louisiana Purchase

rachellebarteau — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 13:54:32 +0000

The Louisiana Purchase added a vast amount of territory to the U.S.. What has been called the “biggest real estate deal in world history,” turned out to be rife with constitutional questions. Robertson explores the constitutional ambiguities of the purchase and its implications for executive power and slavery. He also discusses the legacy and conditions of the purchase which ultimately led to The Civil War.

freedom.ou.edu Named 2013 Journal Record Innovator of the Year Honoree

adminfreedom — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:57:24 +0000

freedom.ou.edu Project Director, Adam Croom, accepts the 2013 Innovator of the Year award.

Freedom.ou.edu and the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage were honored last night as a 2013 Innovator of the Year Honoree at The Journal Record’s 16th Annual Innovator of the Year event at the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City.

“The Innovator of the Year program allows us to celebrate the innovative spirit of Oklahomans as we recognize businesses, organizations and individuals who work every day to develop and bring to fruition products and services that fill a need,” said Mary Mélon, president and publisher of The Journal Record. “This creativity and entrepreneurial expertise is what continues to allow our state to thrive. The honorees that we have recognized over the years have gone on to make names for themselves across the country and around the world. Along the way, they have also made Oklahoma a better place to live and do business.”

Freedom.ou.edu was recognized as an innovative online classroom offering more than 70 lectures and podcasts on citizenship, freedom and the Constitution. The video content has already reached more than 50,000 global students in only six months online.

“What freedom.ou.edu seeks to do is essential for the health of our country,” said Kyle Harper, senior vice provost and director for the Institute of the American Constitutional Heritage. “It has been said that we cannot defend our common set of values as Americans or protect the vitality of our institutions, including our government, unless we understand their origins and how they have evolved over time. We cannot intelligently participate in the current debates about the limits of governmental power and the importance of the independent judicial process unless we understand our history.

“The University of Oklahoma continues to advance as a national thought leader in civic education and citizenship training, and freedom.ou.edu is the cornerstone of this initiative,” Harper said.

Recently, freedom.ou.edu has launch it’s first short course titled “Understanding the Second Amendment” which provides a historical context on the often contemporary controversy.

All freedom.ou.edu content is available online at no charge and can be downloaded on iTunesU.

Freedom 101.2; Ep. 3: Nullification

rachellebarteau — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 13:32:42 +0000

Nullification, a legal theory that has never been upheld by the Supreme Court, is the idea that the states can declare null and void any federal law that they deem unconstitutional. Professor Lindsay Robertson discusses the origin of the theory in the 1830′s, the constitutional questions it raises, and the ways it contributed to the Civil War.

Freedom 101.2, Ep. 2: Judicial Review and Slavery

rachellebarteau — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:28:21 +0000

The institution of slavery hung over constitutional development in the early American republic, driving sectional division and leading ultimately to Civil War. In this lecture, Professor Rick Tepker explores two cases – Prigg v. Pennsylvania and the Dred Scott case – and discusses how both of these notorious decisions ironically galvanized abolition and contributed to the election of Abraham Lincoln.

Freedom 101.2, Ep. 1: Sovereign Immunity

rachellebarteau — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:34:14 +0000

Sovereign Immunity: the legal concept that the state cannot be sued. In this lecture, Professor Lindsay Robertson explores the fascinating story of how this concept, derived from the British crown, was adapted to the structures of the U.S. constitutional system.

Understanding the Second Amendment, Ep. 1 – Introduction

rachellebarteau — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 15:47:59 +0000

Kyle Harper, Director of the Institute for the American Constitutional Heritage, introduces the series and explains why understanding the Constitution is so important for the Second Amendment debates.