Institute for Constitutional Studies
The George Washington University Law School
2000 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052

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Maeva Marcus, Director
SUMMER 2005 SEMINAR ON SLAVERY AND THE CONSTITUTION
The Institute for Constitutional Studies at the George Washington
University Law School, in cooperation with the American Historical
Association, the American Political Science Association, the Association
of American Law Schools, and the Organization of American Historians, is
pleased to announce its sixth annual summer seminar for college teachers
and advanced doctoral candidates. The topic for discussion this year is
"Slavery and the Constitution," and Paul Finkelman, Chapman
Distinguished Professor at the University of Tulsa College of Law, and
Mark Tushnet, Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Constitutional Law at
Georgetown University Law Center, will lead the seminar. Professor
Finkelman is an expert on American legal history, race and the law, and
First Amendment issues, and his books include: Slavery and the Founders:
Race and Liberty in the Age of Jefferson; Slavery in the Courtroom; and
An Imperfect Union: Slavery, Federalism, and Comity. A past president of
the Association of American Law Schools and an expert on Constitutional
law and American legal history, Professor Tushnet has published The
American Law of Slavery, 1810-1860; The NAACP's Legal Strategy Against
Segregated Education 1925-1950; Making Civil Rights Law: Thurgood
Marshall and the Supreme Court, 1936-1961; and Making Constitutional
Law: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court, 1961-1991.
The seminar will explore how the U.S. Constitution affected slavery and
how slavery affected the writing and development of the Constitution.
The seminar will begin with a discussion of the Constitutional
Convention and then turn to various constitutional issues stemming from
slavery, including: the ending of the African slave trade; the rendition
of fugitive slaves; the status of slavery in the territories; the
interstate transit of slaves, the status of free blacks in antebellum
America, and the problem of emancipation. Major Supreme Court decisions,
including Prigg v. Pennsylvania (1842), Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857),
and Ableman v. Booth (1859) will be covered. The seminar will also
consider the "constitutional politics" of slavery through discussions of
the fugitive slave laws, the Amistad case, the Lincoln-Douglas debates,
secession, and emancipation. Seminar leaders will guide discussion
around the topics of the participants' interests, share their own
research, and organize activities that will take advantage of the unique
riches of the Washington area for research on these subjects. They will
also advise the participants regarding archival research and use of
other primary resources.
The purpose of the program is to provide graduate students and younger
scholars a chance to meet with senior scholars to do two things: discuss
issues within the general topic of the seminar and present their early
research for comment and refinement. Participants will be required to
identify their topics or research interests in advance and provide a
short bibliography of reading materials for seminar members to read.
Each regular meeting will concentrate on these research topics. Time
outside the scheduled meetings will be reserved for special events, as
well as for individual consultation with the seminar leaders.
The seminar will meet in Washington, DC for two weeks, June 13 - 24,
2005. Generous funding from the Park Foundation has allowed for the
reimbursement of transportation costs up to $300 per participant, shared
accommodation in nearby university residence halls (single accommodation
can be obtained for a supplement of $35 per night), and a set per diem
to cover food and any additional expenses. Enrollment will be limited to
fifteen participants.
Applicants for the seminar should send a copy of their c.v., a brief
description (three to five pages) of the research project to be pursued
in the seminar, and a short statement on how this seminar will be useful
to them in their research, teaching, or professional development.
Materials will be accepted until May 1, 2005, only by email at
[log in to unmask] Successful applicants will be notified soon
thereafter. For further information, call Maeva Marcus at (202) 502-1040
or e -mail [log in to unmask]

-- Paul Finkelman
Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law
University of Tulsa College of Law
3120 East 4th Place
Tulsa, OK   74104-3189

918-631-3706 (office)
918-631-2194 (fax)

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