Dead, White, and Male, but Still Relevant
It was the second in a series of talks established as part of the First-Year Seminar Program that introduces first-years to the liberal arts. “Why Dead White Males Matter” conveyed Ellis’s understanding that while “they may all be dead, and they may all be white, the men who founded America, along with [their] successes and failures, remain relevant.”
About fifty students and a smattering of faculty members attended the event, including Sarah Brady ’11, who said that although the lecture was not required of firsties, “I thought I could learn something new. I think I will go to all of them. Why not?”
The intent of the lecture series, according to James Hartley, professor of economics and director of the first-year program, is to “get a set of the best lecturers on campus to talk for an hour on a topic about which first-year students have heard [but] know little about.” Other topics included “What’s Stashed in Your Shadow: An Introduction to C.G. Jung” with Penny Gill, professor of humanities and politics; and “Confucius: A Man of His Time or a Sage for the Ages?” with Jonathan Lipman, professor of Asian studies and history.
Ellis, whose most recent book is American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic, cautioned the audience that the Founders’ extraordinary victory in the war of independence must be balanced by their extreme failure of leadership in abolishing slavery. “The notion of a golden age of leadership back then and the idea of a debased world of politics currently” is distorted, he said.
Said Alie Schonbek ’11 after the talk, “I’ve studied American history for a long time but [this lecture] gave me a new perspective; the story behind the founding.” —M.H.B.
