Hi, I'm Jeff Sickinga, executive director of the Ashbrook Center, and this is the American

idea, where we discuss the ideas, people, and events that have made America what it is today.

We believe that by understanding our history and our principles, we can better

live up to the promise of the American founding and preserve our ongoing experiment in self-government.

Welcome to the American Idea. I want to welcome everyone to this episode of the American idea. Today we're going to be

talking about a topic that has been a vexed topic, a difficult topic in American history,

but a topic that definitely deserves our attention, especially in this 250th anniversary year of America.

The Declaration Independence and the Struggle for Civil Rights. It's part of our series,

America 250, the Declaration of Independence, and its legacy. When you're talking about that legacy

as it pertains to the struggle for civil rights with our guest today.

Professor Peter Myers.

Many of our listeners may know, Pete, he is professor of political science at the University

of Wisconsin, O'Clair.

He received his BA from Northwestern University, his Ph.D.

from Loyola University of Chicago.

He is the author of a number of important articles on American

political thought and civil rights, including in journals like the American Political Science Review.

He's also, of course, an author of several really terrific books, including a couple I think deserved mention for our conversation today.

One is our only star in Compass, Locke on the struggle for political rationality, and particularly

Frederick Douglass, race and the rebirth of American liberalism. We are just delighted to have

Professor Myers with us for this really interesting

conversation. Pete, thanks for being with us on the American Idea.

...