Join University System of Maryland Regents Professor Mark A. Graber, PhD, JD, MA, of Maryland Carey Law, for a live discussion on Reddit about the constitutional politics of the 13th and 14th Amendments on Wednesday, Sept. 13, from 2 to 4 p.m EDT.
This will be part of a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) thread, where broad questions from people all over the world will be asked about Graber's research on the original and contemporary politics of the those amendments, including the constitutional politics of their framing, the post-Civil War Republican effort to change constitutional politics of the United States, and the impact of those amendments on contemporary constitutional politics from the Jan. 6 insurrection and gerrymandering. The amendments are best known for abolishing slavery, declaring persons of color American citizens, and setting out certain fundamental rights.
Graber will address topics like these during his live chat:
- How did Republicans attempt to change the balance of power in the United States?
- Why were Republicans more concerned with the balance of power in the United States than entrenching individual rights?
- How should the Republican vision of how constitutions work influence political action today?
- How does constitutional politics influence the rights the post-Civil War amendments protect at present?
- How did Republicans understand slavery and the meaning of the Civil War?
- How did Republicans expect the post-Civil War amendments to be implemented?
- Why did those amendments fail to achieve their purposes and what can be done today to achieve constitutional commitments to free labor and racial equality?
- Does Section Four of the 14th Amendment, which forbids any questioning of the public debt, have any application to the debt ceiling debates?
- Are Donald Trump and other participants in the Jan. 6 insurrection barred from holding office under Section Three of the 14th Amendment?
- Is Section Two of the 14th Amendment just a dead letter or might that provision be used in contemporary voting rights litigation?
In 2016, Graber was named University System of Maryland (USM) Regents Professor, one of only seven Regents Professors in the history of USM and the only Regents Professor on the University of Maryland, Baltimore campus. In 2004, he was appointed professor of government and law at Maryland Carey Law, a title held until May 1, 2015, at which time Graber was appointed the Jacob A. France Professor of Constitutionalism. Graber is the author of "Punish Treason, Reward Loyalty: The Forgotten Goals of Constitutional Reform after the Civil War." He is also one of the organizers of the annual Constitutional Law "Schmooze," the largest gathering of law professors, political scientists, and historians in the country.
To join the conversation, visit Reddit.com/r/IamA between 2 and 4 p.m. Sept. 13, and watch for Graber’s thread go live. You must have a Reddit account to participate. The direct link will be shared on @UMBaltimore and @UMDLaw on X, formerly known as Twitter, once the thread is active.
Reddit is an online message board community that has more than 430 million monthly active users, billing itself as the “front page of the internet.” Reddit IAmA is a community, or a subreddit, where people with unique expertise or skills share their knowledge with anyone all over the world.
Are you a researcher interested in hosting a chat about your work on Reddit? Email social@umaryland.edu with your research topic, what makes it unique, and why it would have a broad interest. Topics that are covered in the news, relevant in pop culture, or tied to an awareness month/week/day make ideal Reddit AMAs.