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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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A model for how to approach disagreements on contentious issues with civility, respect

November 24, 2025 10:15 AM
"They took on one of the thorniest issues of the day from the heart of the culture wars and treated each other with dignity. They didn’t attack each other; they contended with each other’s ideas and only after working hard to understand those ideas."
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Mitt Romney: 2025 George W. Romney Lecture on Public Service

November 13, 2025 03:57 PM
"May we live in a way that’s in harmony with our core values, and by the values that we see in others who we admire."
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Forum: Confronting Political Violence

5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday, December 09
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Citizens Must Uphold the Norms of American Democracy

October 23, 2025 02:37 PM
I am not legally bound to honor the holy spaces of others, to make room for their beliefs and practices, or to respond to their religious speech with peace, tolerance and respect. But the norm of religious freedom creates a powerful social force encouraging me to do so.
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Learning to Disagree in a Pluralistic Society

September 18, 2025 07:28 PM
I hope that these small steps for each of us individually, will move us forward to a different kind of politics, where we can live out our commitments across deep and genuine differences, and rediscover the common ground that makes so much of life possible, and sometimes even beautiful.
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The Constitution Is Not Partisan — It Protects Us All

September 17, 2025 11:17 AM
The Constitution is foundational to what we all love about America. Arizona State professor Paul Carrese noted in a lecture at the Wheatley Institute last year that “our very complex constitutional system of separation of powers and federalism inherently call for civil disagreement over both long-term and day-to-day political issues.” So, understanding the rights underlying our constitutional system and how they protect people who disagree with us is critical.
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Americans Are Losing a Shared Sense Of What Makes Government Action Legitimate

September 16, 2025 10:44 AM
These findings hint at a generational transformation in how Americans relate to political legitimacy. Older Americans are unified in their faith in the Constitution. Middle-aged Americans are split by education, sorted into different legitimacy frameworks. And younger Americans are divided and diverse, with no dominant view and increasing weight placed on personal belief and public opinion.
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