Sponsored by:
Kansas First Amendment Foundation
Kansas Department of Education
Kansas State University Center for Civic Education
Fort Hays State University
Center for Civic Education

Please use this form to register for Teaching Constitutional Government-The Stories Behind the Constitutional Challenges that Shaped the American Experience.


July 7th 8:30 AM- 4:00 PM  

The Bill of Rights, the First Amendment, and the American Experience
Professor John E. Finn-Professor Emeritus in the Department of Government at Wesleyan University, The Bill of Rights and the First Amendment.
Professor John Kincaid: Professor of Government and Public Service at Lafayette University, Federalism and the First Amendment
Professor Thomas Vontz:  Professor of Education at Kansas State University-Host

Topics to be discussed:
• How has the Constitution and the Amendments helped to shape the American experience?  
• How has the First Amendment impacted the American experience?
• What are governments' roles and responsibilities in American society?
• What does freedom of expression mean?
• Why is freedom to express oneself important in a democratic society?
• How has freedom of expression been suppressed throughout history?
• How has the Freedom of Expression impacted the American experience through historical events, art,
        literature, religion, and the press?
• What impact did the Fourteenth Amendment have on the freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights and particularly
        the First Amendment?

Question to be answered:

Why was there a need for a Bill of Rights and how has the First Amendment impacted the American Experience?
• Why is the freedom to express oneself important in a free society?
• What does federalism impact the protections listed in the Bill of Rights?