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Transcript - 2011 Bradley Symposium: True Americanism: What It Is and Why It Matters
May 11, 2011
by Bradley Center
Download PDF (225.8 KB)
True Americanism
What It Is and Why It Matters
A discussion featuring
Senator Lamar Alexander
Robert P. George
Frank Hanna
Daniel Henninger
Amy A. Kass
Leon R. Kass
Charles Krauthammer
Harvey Mansfield
Wilfred McClay
Diana Schaub
Paul E. Singer
Juan Williams
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 - 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Park Hyatt Washington D.C.,
24 & M Streets, NW
Washington, DC 20037
Click here to watch video of this event
Media Mentions
Mona Charon in National Review Online - "Americanism: Why It Matters"
Rick Cohen in The Nonprofit Quarterly - "Thinking About True Americanism"
In an age of increasing cultural diversity at home and of increasing globalization abroad, questions are being agitated about what it means today to be an American. How, in fact, do we identify ourselves, both as individuals and as a people? What do we look up to and revere? To what larger community and ideals are we attached and devoted? For what are we willing to fight and to sacrifice?
A new anthology, What So Proudly We Hail: The American Soul in Story, Speech, and Song, edited by Amy A. Kass, Leon R. Kass, and Diana Schaub, speaks directly to these questions. Using the soul-shaping possibilities of American short stories, political speeches, and songs, it addresses issues of national identity, the American character, the virtues and aspirations of civic life, and the problem of making a national one out of the multicultural many. The book contains a moving speech by Theodore Roosevelt, which powerfully argues that all new immigrants must be assimilated into the idea and practice of "True Americanism." This symposium revisited Theodore Roosevelt's speech and the issues it raises. What, if anything, defines "True Americanism" today? Why and for what purposes does it matter?
The 2011 Bradley Symposium, hosted by Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal and National Affairs, featured a discussion among prominent political figures and scholars, led by Hudson Institute Senior Fellow Amy Kass and AEI Madden-Jewett Scholar Leon Kass.
Required Reading
"True Americanism" by Theodore Roosevelt
Registration, breakfast buffet
9:30
Welcome by Yuval Levin, National Affairs
9:35
Panel discussion
Sen. Lamar Alexander, (R - Tennessee) and Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference
Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University and 2005 Bradley Prize recipient
Frank Hanna, CEO, Hanna Capital
Daniel Henninger, Deputy Editorial Page Editor, Wall Street Journal
Amy A. Kass, Hudson Senior Fellow and Co-editor,What So Proudly We Hail
Leon R. Kass, Co-editor,What So Proudly We Hail and 2003 Bradley Prize Recipient
Charles Krauthammer, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist and 2003 Bradley Prize Recipient
Harvey Mansfield, Harvard University Professor and 2011 Bradley Prize Recipient
Wilfred McClay, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center
Diana Schaub, Co-editor, What So Proudly We Hail
Paul E. Singer, Founder of Elliott Associates
Juan Williams, Journalist and Fox News political analyst
11:00
Question-and-answer session
11:30
Adjournment
To Request Further Information
To request further information on this event or the Bradley Center, please contact Kristen McIntyre at (202) 974-2424 or kmcintyre@hudson.org
Hudson Institute's Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal aims to explore the usually unexamined intellectual assumptions underlying the grantmaking practices of America’s foundations and provide practical advice and guidance to grantmakers who seek to support smaller, grassroots institutions in the name of civic renewal.
Click here to view the full list of Event Transcripts.
Tags - Click a tag for related material
Amy Kass, Charles Krauthammer, Civil Society, Constitution, Culture, Founding FathersShare