Constitutional Academy: Historical Perspectives on Human Rights and International Justice
Featured Speaker - Elizabeth Borgwardt, Washington University in St. Louis
March 14, 2007,
5:00 - 8:30pm
ESD 112 Conference Center
On March 14, Liz Borgwardt (of the Washington University in St Louis) recaptured a multilateralist moment in US history, leading Constitutional Connections participants to consider the seminal role the Atlantic Charter (1941) played in developing modern institutions of human rights and international justice. In exploring the “constitutionalization” of these rights, Dr. Borgwardt helped us see how the Bretton Woods Charter (1944), the UN Charter (1945), and the Nuremberg Charter (1945) emerged from Roosevelt and Churchill’s earlier proclamation much as the Constitution evolved from the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Borgwardt encouraged participants to consider how to use their students’ concerns regarding contemporary human rights issues to develop a deeper understanding of U.S. History and the Constitution.
Presentation Materials:
Video of the Presentation:
- The Genesis of the Modern Human Rights Regime
- A Discussion with Elizabeth Borgwardt
- Classroom Applications
Suggested Reading:
- Agenda & Handout
- Introduction and Chapter One of A New Deal for the World: America’s Vision for Human Rights
- The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
- The Constitution of Japan (1946)
- Political Cartoons included in the presentation 1MB
Books discussed during the presentation:
- Avishai Margalit, The Ethics of Memory
- Felix Gilbert, To the Farewell Address
- Margaret MacMillan, Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed The World
- Carol Anderson, Eyes Off the Prize
- Judith Shklar, Legalism: Law, Morals, and Political Trials