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Welcome to Wheatley Institute

Learn more about our mission and who we are.
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Marriage, Motherhood, and Women’s Well-Being

Read our newest report about motherhood and happiness
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We Are Not Afraid

Join us on September 11 for a special movie screening.

Strengthening society through research-supported work that fortifies the core institutions of family, religion, and constitutional government.

INITIATIVES

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9/11 Movie Screening: We Are Not Afraid

4:00 PM
Thursday, September 11
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Family Proclamation Conference

Thursday, September 25 - Friday, September 26
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The Pursuit of Happiness

November 13, 2024 04:00 PM
Wheatley Institute and the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies welcomed Jeff Rosen to BYU campus on Nov 13, 2025 as he spoke on his recent book, "The Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America," a New York Times bestseller and an enriching examination of what “the pursuit of happiness” meant to our nation’s Founders and how that famous phrase defined their lives and became the foundation of our democracy.
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Becoming Disciple-Citizens

November 04, 2024 05:13 PM
Wheatley Institute Director Paul Edwards gave a devotional at Ensign College about becoming Disciple-Citizens. He emphasized the importance of active civic participation for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the ways that responsible citizens can support American democracy.
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Purpose: What Evolution and Human Nature Imply About the Meaning of Our Existence

October 18, 2024 11:00 AM
Wheatley Institute and the BYU College of Life Sciences welcomed Yale Professor Dr. Samuel Wilkinson to BYU campus on Oct 17, 2024 as he shared an insightful lecture on the purpose of our existence.
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Frederick Douglass: Old-school originalist

July 07, 2025 01:24 PM
How one of the Constitution’s earliest critics used its language — and silences — to fight for freedom
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What is uniquely special about America?

June 24, 2025 01:10 PM
In his recent Deseret News op-ed, Wheatley Institute Fellow Jeremy Pope explores what truly sets America apart—not its power, but its founding principles. He argues that the nation's exceptionalism lies in the revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality, and self-government articulated between 1765 and 1800. At a time when political rhetoric can obscure these foundations, his piece is a timely reminder of the enduring value of America’s constitutional commitments.
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State May Not Discriminate Among Faiths in Determining What Activity Counts as Religious

June 11, 2025 01:05 PM
Wheatley Constitutional Government Initiative Director James C. Philips contributed an article to the Federalist Society about a recent Supreme Court case regarding the tax-exempt status of Catholic charities in Wisconsin.
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