More on the Pesky Final Project

I've forgotten how truly productive/refreshing a day at the library can be. I typically avoid this place like the plague, but whenever I do decide to grin and bear it, I usually do some really great work--it's all in the mindset I guess. And though I would rather have spent this gorgeous spring day outside, I found myself a desk by the window looking at the river, so I was content :)

As I mentioned in a previous post, I am working on a grant proposal for my final project on American Intellectual History. I think I have focused in on a theme and some thinkers! In their book The American Intellectual Tradition, Vol 1: 1630-1865, David Hollinger and Charles Capper divide this portion of intellectual history in the US into five parts. I have decided to focus in on Part Two: Republican Enlightenment. These authors utilize documents from Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison. I would like to focus on all of these ideally, but perhaps leave out one or two (Thomas Paine?). I want the theme of my proposed conference to be the Origins of the Constitution--Understanding our Nation's Constitution--or something to that effect. Since my plan was to make this primarily a scholarship program for students culminating in a lecture series that is open to the public, I thought it would be cool to have the conference in the fall during the week of September 17--Constitution Day!

After doing some research today, I learned that Constitution Day was established in 1940 by Congress to help Americans develop their citizenship. Schools that receive federal funding are required to do activities for Constitution Day on Sept. 17 as well. I thought organizing the conference around this theme would help me to get a grant as the idea of it supports the objectives the government has set forth. Also, originally I wanted to apply for a We the People grant because the fellowship I have this semester through the LeFrak Forum uses such a grant to support its lecture series...I think this would be more plausible now because NEH supports this grant program as well as Constitution Day.

On the actual research side of things, I found myself frustrated because the library doesn't seem to have many books on the subject of intellectual history. However, when I found a book on the intellectual history of the Constitution itself, good research skills allowed me to find great books on the history of American Political Thought...guess I found myself a new buzz word!  I also searched encore for the specific intellectuals I am interested in and found books on them by scholars I could potentially ask to come and lecture.

I feel a lot better about this project after today, but I need to work on the 'story' I want to tell in my grant proposal--as in how exactly learning more about the Constitution's founding helps one to be a better citizen. This should be a good exercise for me more generally as I want to be a political philosopher and need to start learning how to better defend why I want to do this with my life.

S'all for now!