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2017 Teach-In: The Strength and Fragility of Constitutions

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The Strength and Fragility of Constitutions

Eric Weitz, a distinguished professor of history and past dean of humanities and arts at City College of New York, specializes in modern German and European history. His lecture focused on Weimar Germany and the rise of the Nazi Party.

A professor of history at Duke University and an affiliated scholar at the American Bar Foundation, Laura Edwards' lecture charted the movement of civil rights in America following the 14th Amendment.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Gordon Wood delivered the Teach-In's luncheon address. A professor emeritus of history at Brown University, Wood spoke primarily on John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and their differing views on governance.

Soner Cagaptay, director of the Turkish Research Program at The Washington Institute and author of "The New Sultan: Erdogan and the Crisis of Modern Turkey," warned of the rise of authoritarianism in Turkey under President Recep Erdogan.

Johann Neem, a senior fellow of the University of Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture and professor of history at Western Washington University, concluded the 2017 Teach-In. He is the author of the recently published book, "Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America."