The U.S. Constitution: Vulnerabilities and Flashpoints
Online class with Clay Jenkinson
The U.S. Constitution: Vulnerabilities and Flashpoints
November 22 – December 20, 2025
$400 per person
Thomas Jefferson expected the Constitution to be revised or replaced once every generation. George Washington thought it would be effective for a quarter of a century, perhaps a bit longer. We are now 238 years into this constitution and it is clearly fraying. It was written by 55 white men in wigs and buckled shoes. When a constitution ceases to address the questions of human freedom, rights, and effective governance, mischief inevitably follows. Well before the current administration, we have had unitary executives and runaway presidential authority.
We’ll read the Constitution together with an eye to its original intentions, its evolution through the course of American history, and its current problematic status in American life.
Among other things we will examine the makeup of the Senate, the purpose of the emoluments clause, the Electoral College, the pardon clause, the impeachment clause, the amendment process, the Bill of Rights, and much more.
Class Schedule
November 22 – December 20, 2025 (10 a.m. to noon Central)
Sessions will be Saturday mornings via Zoom
(*Note — there will be no class on December 3rd and 6th)
Optional Zoom office hours Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. Central
Orientation:
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
7 p.m. Central
What We’ll Be Reading
- U.S. Constitution
- Jill Lepore’s excellent new book, We the People: A History of the U.S. Constitution
- Edward Watts’ outstanding Mortal Republic: How Rome Fell into Tyranny
Questions? Contact Liz Eagle.
Online courses are conducted by Dakota Sky Education with fees paid to Dakota Sky Education.
The courses are an educational service, enrollment fees are not tax deductible.