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Constitution

Research, reports, and lectures from Wheatley Institute
"[The Constitution] must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties."
-Abraham Lincoln
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Constitution

Revisiting the Fourth of July

July 06, 2026 04:54 PM
Does the Fourth of July belong to all of us? "Fredrick Douglass today would emphatically answer: Yes, it [does]," Wheatley Fellow Bradley Reberio states. "The better question to ask, then, is whether we are living up to what the Declaration demands of us today."
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Conscience, Unity, and the US Constitution

July 06, 2026 03:53 PM
Can the US Constitution heal a fractured country?


Wheatley Fellows Justin Collings and Thomas Griffith examine the question in their new op-ed, "A republic of neighbors: How moral agency and community can heal our divided nation".
1 Min Read
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A Conversation With Heather Gerken

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday, October 20
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Constitution

The Two Battlefields of American Politics

June 17, 2026 01:28 PM
Why have recent political victories— both Republican and Democrat— been so short-lived? It may be because voter support varies when it comes to long-term policy stances vs current cultural and identity issues.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Wheatley Institute Director Paul Edwards Joins New Braver Angels Advisory Council

June 12, 2026 01:31 PM
Paul Edwards, Director of Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University, has been announced as part of a brand-new advisory council at Braver Angels, a nation-wide organization dedicated to cross-partisan bridge building, the practice of "courageous citizenship", and depolarization. Edwards is joined by 22 other committee members, some of whom include:
2 Min Read
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Constitution

What is the Role of Cultural Elites in America's Toxic Polarization?

June 08, 2026 05:33 PM
In May, students, professors, and guests gathered to listen to Bret Stephens— author, Pulitzer Prize winner, and New York Times columnist— speak on the role of the cultural elite in American polarization. The lecture was hosted by Wheatley Institute, the BYU Political Science Department, and the Initiative for Peacemaking, and served as the opening keynote for the 2026 Brigham Young University Peacemaking Conference.
3 Min Read
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Constitution

Equal Justice and the Blessings of Liberty

June 08, 2026 02:41 PM
"Considering the Constitution in light of the Declaration of Independence, these documents suggest that equal justice might involve more than formal legal equality," Wheatley Fellow Bradley Rebeiro writes. "It requires not only the protection of rights through the rule of law, but also a continuing commitment to the conditions that make liberty genuinely available to all."
1 Min Read
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Constitution

Abraham Lincoln and the Lost Art of Persuasion

May 27, 2026 12:29 PM
Is rhetoric good or a bad? In his newest op-ed, Justin Collings— academic vice president of Brigham Young University and Wheatley Affiliated Scholar— argues that it's a noble tool. America just isn't using it.
1 Min Read
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Constitution

BYU Students Visit Historic Sites for America’s 250th

May 05, 2026 01:04 PM
In honor of America's 250th anniversary, BYU history professor Tyson Reeder, with support from the Wheatley Institute, taught a semester-long history course on the Declaration of Independence. As a culminating learning experience, the entire class, which included several Wheatley Scholars, traveled to key historical sites associated with the Declaration in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Philadelphia.
1 Min Read
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