Equality, Slavery, and the Founding

In what sense are “all men . . . created equal”? What is human liberty? What is prosperity, and how is wealth created? In 1776 these questions were addressed and acted upon in ways that have created the modern world. Commemorating the 250th anniversary, explore 1776 and the ideas that made the modern world, focusing on the Declaration of Independence and Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations.

Join us on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at 7:00–8:15 p.m. ET for a discussion about the relationship between equality, slavery, and the founding of our country. 1776: The Ideas that Made the Modern World is taught by Vincent Phillip Muñoz, Tocqueville Professor of Political Science and Concurrent Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame and the Founding Director of ND’s Center for Citizenship & Constitutional Government, and James Otteson, John T. Ryan Jr. Professor of Business Ethics in the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.

The course is open to students of any year or major; it presumes no prior knowledge and is designed for students who are intellectually curious. It is also open to the general public, both in person and virtually. All lectures will be livestreamed, with recordings posted afterward. Read along with the students enrolled in the course using the links below:

• Stephen Douglas, Speech at Chicago, July 9, 1858, in Johannsen (ed.), The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, 22–36
• Abraham Lincoln, Speech on the Repeal of the Missouri Compromise, Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854

For more information, and to subscribe to receive reminder emails for future 1776: The Ideas that Made the Modern World livestreams, please visit the course website.

To see previous livestreams from the course, click here.