Drawing on his forthcoming book on George Washington’s letter transmitting the U.S. Constitution to Congress, Professor Derek Webb will discuss what Washington meant by “the spirit of amity”–a disposition Washington asserted was indispensable to the creation of the Constitution. Professor Webb will explore what that concept meant to the founding generation; how it played out at a few key moments during the debates over the creation and ratification of the Constitution; and how it differs in some ways from contemporary understandings of civility.
