Maine Humanities Council (Portland, ME 04102-1012)
Elizabeth Sinclair (Project Director: June 2015 to April 2017)
LD-234311-16
Humanities in the Public Square
Public Programs
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[Grant products][Media coverage]
Totals (outright + matching):
$145,000 (approved)
$145,000 (awarded)
Grant period:
1/1/2016 – 12/31/2016
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A Broad and Sure Foundation: The 14th Amendment in American Life and Imagination
Implementation of a public forum and library-based public programs that explore the 14th Amendment’s history and legal relevance, focusing on African American literature around citizenship.
Taking as its inspiration the 150th anniversary of the passage by Congress of the 14th Amendment, this project will explore the history, evolution, and contemporary significance of three key provisions in that amendment: citizenship, due process, and equal protection of the law. The 14th Amendment has had a profound impact on American jurisprudence and American life: no other constitutional amendment is more cited in legal cases, and none is more directly relevant to many of the key issues we face today. Debates around many of the topics central to our national conversation are shaped by our understanding of 14th Amendment issues. By looking at these issues from historical, legal, and literary perspectives, the Maine Humanities Council (MHC) will provide audiences across Maine with opportunities to explore the history and evolution of how the amendment has been understood and to discuss some of the most important and challenging questions facing our country and our communities.
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