Jeffersonian: American Principles and American Power

Jeffersonian Seminar: “Enlightenment Principles and 21st Century Approaches to U.S. National Security”

Leading scholars from across the country gathered in Philadelphia July 26-27 for a JMC Jeffersonian Seminar, “Enlightenment Principles and 21st Century Approaches to US National Security.”​

Made possible by a lead gift from Ms. Diane Hendricks and a grant from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the seminar was a component of JMC’s project, American Principles and American Power, a focused interdisciplinary effort to expand education in America’s founding principles, particularly for students going into public policy fields and areas of foreign service.

Roy Godson, Georgetown University professor emeritus, led the seminar and is the project coordinator. “Our experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan have underscored the necessity of providing future policymakers, civilian and military personnel, and civil society leaders a foundation in the challenges of sustaining a free political and economic order,” said Dr. Godson.

This seminar focused on questions of America’s place on the world stage with a view to the enlightenment principles at the heart of the American Founding. The group discussed the meaning of freedom and the requirements of a free society in an effort to better understand what may and may not be possible in other parts of the world seeking to establish their own free societies. Professors discussed courses taught over the past year as part of the project and next steps moving forward.