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The Most Sacred of All Property: Rights of Conscience in American Constitutional Thought

Wednesday, September 16

Why did James Madison call conscience “the most sacred of all property”? Join leading scholars for a deep exploration of the development of religious freedom and rights of conscience in the American constitutional tradition. Hosted at the George Washington University campus, speakers will explore the impact of key American thought leaders throughout history, including:

  • George Washington
  • Thomas Jefferson
  • James Madison
  • Sojourner Truth
  • Orestes Brownson
  • Joseph Smith
  • Angelina Grimké
  • Roger Sherman
  • Frederick Douglass
  • Louis Brandeis
  • Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Mary Ann Glendon

Registration and Event Details

Registration for the conference will open shortly. Sessions begin at 8:00 AM at George Washington University campus and conclude at 3:30 PM EDT. Both breakfast and lunch provided for participants.

Schedule
Full Conference Schedule
8:00 – 8:45 AM Registration and Breakfast Buffet
9:00 – 9:15 AM Welcome
9:15 – 10:45 AM Founding Era
Mark David Hall, V. Phillip Muñoz, Alan Taylor, Mary Sarah Bilder
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Antebellum America
Nell Irvin Painter, Michael Federici, Justin Collings, Rosemarie Zagarri
12:30 – 1:45 PM Lunch Panel: Conscience and Compromise
Tim Shriver, Jonathan Rauch
2:00 – 3:30 PM Reconstruction and Beyond
Bradley Rebeiro, Jeffrey Rosen, Jonathan Eig, Robert P. George

Speaker List

The conference will feature remarks from a wide range of scholars, historians, academics, and thought leaders, including:

Mary Sarah Bilder

Boston College

Justin Collings

Brigham Young University

Jonathan Eig

Pulitzer Prize Winner

Micheal Federici

Middle Tennessee State University

Robert P. George

Princeton University

Mark David Hall

Regent University

V. Phillip Muñoz

University of Notre Dame

Nell Irvin Painter

Princeton University

Jonathan Rauch

The Brookings Institution

Bradley Rebeiro

Brigham Young University

Jeffrey Rosen

George Washington
University

Tim Shriver

Dignity Index

Alan Taylor

University of Virginia

Rosemarie Zagarri

George Mason
University

Evening Keynote: Faith, Freedom, and the Common Good

President Oaks sits in a black leather chair, wearing wire-rimmed glasses, a dark suit, white shirt, and blue and white tie.

Following the conference a keynote address will be offered by President Dallin H. Oaks, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at the National Cathedral at 6:00 PM EDT; which will be followed by a panel featuring The Right Reverend Mariann Edgar Budde; Melody Barnes; And Rabbi David Saperstein.

For more information about the keynote, and keynote registration click here

Sponsors

The conference is co-sponsored by Wheatley Institute and the George Washington University School of Law, with generous support from the National Cathedral for the evening keynote.

Download conference flyer