Arizona Civics Day Celebrated at Great Hearts

Sandra Day O’Connor Civics Celebration Day is observed annually in Arizona on September 25 to honor the historic legacy of the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice and prominent Arizonan Sandra Day O’Connor. With the support of the Jack Miller Center, keynote speakers were deployed from Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought at four Great Hearts Academies in Arizona.

As part of Scottsdale Prep’s commitment to civic education, students focused on exploring the principles and historical debates that shaped the American founding. Prior to the event, all students read materials provided by Dr. Sean Beienburg to prepare for the day’s discussions and lecture. High school students attended a special Civics Day lecture presented by Dr. Beienburg. Following the lecture, students continued their study during Humane Letters classes through guided discussions of two foundational American documents: the Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress (1774) and the Declaration of Independence (1776). Middle school students engaged with the same readings and themes through their literature/composition and history classes, allowing all Scottsdale Prep students to participate in a shared exploration of America’s founding principles.

About Dr. Sean Beienburg
Dr. Sean Beienburg is a professor at Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, where he teaches courses on the U.S. Constitution and American government. He is the author of books on constitutional history, federalism, and states’ rights, and he directs the Arizona Constitution Project, which promotes understanding of constitutional principles and civic education. His research focuses on the U.S. Constitution, constitutional law, federalism, executive power, and American political and constitutional history. Dr. Beienburg earned his bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and his doctorate from Princeton University.

Students at Veritas Prep were treated to a special Civics Day lecture from Dr. Aaron Kushner, “From Idea into Law”: The Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation – A presentation on the transition from the Declaration of Independence (1776) to the Articles of Confederation (1777), on transforming foundational principles (equality, natural rights, consent, representation, etc.) into a workable legal structure. The lecture will provided students with an overview of the principles, both novel and in keeping with various traditions, of the Declaration of Independence and how the Continental Congress created a legal framework in the Articles of Confederation while at war, to attempt to preserve, protect, and defend those principles. The Articles of Confederation failed for several reasons, one being that it did not reflect a workable vision of federalism: it did not adequately account for different states not liking each other or wanting to obey the law. The lecture prompted student questions by explaining the difficulty of maintaining American principles, even when those principles are good and true, for futuregenerations.

About Dr. Aaron Kushner
Dr. Aaron Kushner is an Assistant Professor in the School of Civic and Economic Thought & Leadership at Arizona State University, where he teaches courses on American Political History and Constitutional Law. He is the author of Cherokee Nation Citizenship: A Political History (2025) and co-editor of A Hero in All of Us? Heroism and American Political Thought as Seen on TV (2024).

At Anthem Prep, Evan Lowe presented “The Declaration of Independence: The Soul of America’s Constitutional Republic.” In 1776 the American founders began an experiment that revolutionized how the world thinks about liberty and self-government. Even after the adoption of the constitutional form of government in 1789, the Declaration continues to play a central role in understanding what America is and strives to be. It provides the animating principles for our participatory republic, and points citizens toward the proper and legitimate ends of any free government. The self-evident truths it contains, namely that all men are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, challenge us, guide us, and aim to elevate the soul of American politics.

About Evan Lowe:
Evan M. Lowe is an Assistant Teaching Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SCETL), where he serves as the Director of the undergraduate program. His research and teaching interests are in American constitutionalism, political philosophy, technology, and religion in civic life. He is an advocate for the robust liberal and civic education that the leaders of tomorrow will need to restore our nation’s health and vitality. He lives in Mesa with his wife and their miniature dachshund.

Tyler Thomas presented “The Political Faith of Salmon P. Chase” to the students of Glendale Prep. Salmon P. Chase is most famous for challenging Abraham Lincoln for control of the Republican Party during the Civil War. In addition to a long political career—-including roles as Governor of Ohio, United States Senator, Secretary of the Treasury, and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—Chase orchestrated an antislavery strategy known as the “Cordon of Freedom.” Central to Chase’s strategy was an understanding of American history that relied upon the concept of political faith. This talk will provide a brief overview of Chases’s political career but will focus closely upon his concept of political faith and the role of the Declaration of Independence in his understanding of that faith.

About Tyler Thomas:
Tyler Thomas is Assistant Teaching Professor in the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership. Before coming to Arizona State, he held positions at the University of Texas at Austin and Emory University. His research interests include early modern political thought, the relationship between natural science and politics, and American political thought and institution.

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