Two-hundred and fifty years ago, America famously proclaimed that “all men are created equal.” That same year, Pennsylvanians led by Benjamin Franklin declared that “all men are born equally free and independent.” This year, Americans are once again discussing issues of creational equality and birth equality—this time in the context of a great debate over the meaning of birthright citizenship. How will the Supreme Court decide this issue? How should it decide? What would Lincoln have thought about the current debate? Yale Law School Professor Akhil Reed Amar will examine these and related questions through the lens of his recent book, Born Equal: Remaking America's Constitution, 1840–1920.
Event Venue
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library, 1000 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, United States
