Throughout 2026, faculty and staff from throughout the university will host events exploring the ideas that inspired the founders, the history of revolutionary-era America, and the way the nation has wrestled with the ideals of the founding principles in a pluralistic and sometimes divided republic.
The Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse hosts this page to share events and insights from throughout the university.
2026 Events
January 20
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik presents “George Washington's Jewish Letters and the Creation of a Constitutional Republic.”
7- 8:30, Karen J. Williams Courtroom, Joseph F. Rice School of Law.
Sponsored by the Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse.
January 22
Osita Nwanevu presents Democracy and the Case for a New American Founding.
5- 6:30 pm, Campus Room, First Floor of Capstone House (902 Barnwell St)
Sponsored by the Mellon Grant Initiative: Civic Engagement, Voting Rights, and the Founding Documents.
February 19–20
Jamie Druckman, author of Partisan Hostility and American Democracy, will discuss "Distrust, Polarization, and Dissatisfaction" from 5-6:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the Mellon Grant Initiative: Civic Engagement, Voting Rights, and the Founding Documents.
February 23
History Faculty member Benjamin Schaffer will discuss his recently published book, The First Fleets: Colonial Navies of the British Atlantic World, c. 1630-1775. Light refreshments will be served. Gambrell 428, 3:00-3:45
February 28
Join Michael Weisenburg, director of the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, for a special Saturday presentation of University Libraries’ exhibit on our nation’s founding, with special attention to South Carolina’s pivotal role and the ways it has been commemorated over time. The program will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hollings Special Collections Library as part of the Echoes of Independence Open Gallery.
March 23
A conversation with Andrew Lawler and USC history professor Sean Gallagher.
Kendall Room at the South Caroliniana Library from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the History Center.
March 24
Brooke Bauer presents the 2026 Dr. Mary Baskin-Waters Lecture on the topic, “Indigenous Women in the North American Southeast.”
Sponsored by the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies.
April 13–14
Conference on Civic Engagement and the Constitutional Order. Featured speakers include Jedediah Purdy, Deva Woodly, Kate Andrias, Arlie Hochschild, Astra Taylor, Josiah Ober, and others.
Sponsored by the Mellon Grant Initiative: Civic Engagement, Voting Rights, and the Founding Documents.
April 18
Congaree National Park — 10 a.m.–12 p.m.
Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary with live performances by USC School of Music
student ensembles presented throughout the park in a relaxed, come-and-go format.
April 23
Percival Everett, National Book Award- and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, in a special appearance at The Open Book to discuss his book, James, an action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Johnson Performance Hall - 1014 Greene St at 6:00 p.m.
Distribution of Center Pocket Constitutions at the Columbia Fireflies vs. Fredericksburg Nationals Minor League Baseball game
In commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Center will be giving away 2,000 free Pocket Constitutions at the Columbia Fireflies game.
Saturday, July 4, 2026, 6:05 p.m., Segra Park, 1640 Freed Street, Columbia, SC
September 15
Constitution Day Lecture featuring Lucas Morel, Washington and Lee, “‘I, Too, Sing America’: The Black Affirmation of American Independence,” hosted by the Center for American Civic Leadership & Public Discourse.
October 26
A lecture on Abraham Lincoln by historian Allen Guelzo.
October 27
The student orchestra will perform Aaron Copland’s A Lincoln Portrait with Allen Guelzo providing narration.