Summer 2026
Distribution of Center Pocket Constitutions at Columbia Fireflies vs. Fredericksburg Nationals Minor League Baseball Game
While the Columbia Fireflies face the Fredericksburg Nationals on Independence Day, fans will receive a free booklet containing the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and notable speeches that have shaped the way Americans have understood and sought life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Courtesy of the Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse, the booklet is a perfect reference for celebrating the 250th anniversary of America's founding.
Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026
Time: 6:05 p.m.
Location: Segra Park, 1640 Freed Street, Columbia, SC
Fall 2026 Events
1776 South Carolina Constitution Panel Discussion
Join a discussion commemorating the 250th anniversary of the 1776 South Carolina Constitution featuring Former Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court Jean Toal, Mayor of Camden Vincent Sheheen, USC Professor Woody Holton, and William Watkins, Esq., moderated by the Hon. Julius N. Richardson.
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Karen J. Williams Courtroom in the Joseph F. Rice School of Law
First Friday Lunch & Civic Dialogue on Citizenship ft. Professor Agnes Mueller
The Center will host USC faculty to present, over the course of a year, lunchtime presentations on a yearly theme on the first Friday of each month. The theme for 2026-2027 is Citizenship: what does citizenship mean? What does it mean to be a good citizen and what are the obligations of citizenship? How does citizenship intersect with my other identities? Participants will engage with the theme from their personal and disciplinary perspectives.
Agnes Mueller, a Professor of German and Comparative Literature, will lead the September dialogue. Lunch will be provided.
Date: Friday, September 4, 2026
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Location: TBD
2026 Constitution Day Event: “I, Too, Sing America: The Black Affirmation of the American Independence.”
The Center will host a 2026 Constitution Day event featuring Professor Lucas Morel of Washington & Lee. This event will explore how the principles of the American founding have been understood, interpreted, and affirmed within the African American intellectual and political tradition with a focus on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the civil rights movement.
This event will deepen participants’ understanding of the enduring significance of America’s founding ideals and will encourage them to engage thoughtfully with how core constitutional principles, such as equality, liberty, and natural rights, have evolved over time.
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2026
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Karen J. Williams Courtroom in the Joseph F. Rice School of Law
First Friday Lunch & Civic Dialogue on Citizenship ft. Professor Lauren Skarloff
Lauren Skarloff, Professor of History, will lead the October discussion. Lunch will be provided.
Date: Friday, October 2, 2026
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Location: TBD
“Lincoln and the Meaning of Equality in the American Tradition”
Allen Guelzo, a leading scholar of American political thought and Professor of Humanities at the Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education at the University of Florida, will give a lecture on how Abraham Lincoln understood the political, moral, and constitutional meanings of equality, how it informed Lincoln’s response to the Civil War, and how these ideas were shaped by the American founding.
Date: Monday, October 26, 2026
Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m.
Location: Karen J. Williams Courtroom in the Joseph F. Rice School of Law
“A Lincoln Portrait” Orchestra Performance
Join us for a University of South Carolina Symphony Orchestra performance of “A Lincoln Portrait” by Aaron Copland, with Professor Allen Guelzo serving as narrator. This interdisciplinary event will combine historical reflection with artistic expression, deepening participant engagement with the moral and political legacy of the founding.
Date: Tuesday, October 27, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: The Koger Center for the Performing Arts
First Friday Lunch & Civic Dialogue on Citizenship ft. Professor F. Wayne Outten
F. Wayne Outten, Professor of Biochemistry, will lead the November discussion. Lunch will be provided.
Date: Friday, November 6, 2026
Time: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Location: TBD