McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and Dr. Thomas Mackey, Professor of History at the University of Louisville, explore the history of colonial America and provide context for Kirk's chapter on the period.   Corresponding Reading 

Chapter 9, pp. 301-345 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding reading guide to The Roots of American Order here
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox

Additional Resources

• Bernard Bailyn, The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
• Gordon Wood, The Creation of the American Republic
• Jack Greene, The Quest for Power: The Lower Houses of Assembly in the Southern Royal Colonies, 1689-1776.
• Jack Rakove
• Pauline Maier
• Mary Beth Norton, Liberty's Daughters: The Revolutionary Experience of American Women, 1750-1800.
• Richard B. Bernstein
• Peter C. Hoffer
• Alan S. Taylor
• John P. Demos
• Timothy H. Breen
• Fred Anderson

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter 
• Instagram: @ulmcenter 
• Twitter: @ULmCenter

Contributors 

• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director
• Guest: Dr. Thomas Mackey, University of Louisville
• Producer and Editor: Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar 

McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and Dr. Susan Hanssen, Associate Professor of History and Chair of the History Department at the University of Dallas, explore the roots of church and state in American order. The two discuss the history of 17th century Britain and the English Civil War, Hobbesian and Lockean political theory, and more.

Corresponding Reading 

Chapter 8, pp. 259-300 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding reading guide to The Roots of American Order here
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
• Martin J. Wiener, English Culture and the Decline of the Industrial Spirit, 1850-1980
• Russell Kirk, America's British Culture
• David Hackett Fischer, Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox

Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected].

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter 
• Instagram: @ulmcenter 
• Twitter: @ULmCenter

Contributors 

• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director
• Guest: Dr. Suan Hanssen, University of Dallas
• Producers and Editors: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator & Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar 

McConnell Scholar and assistant podcast producer Will Randolph is joined by Dr. Glenn Moots, Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Northwood University, to discuss the significance of the Protestant Reformation. The two explore the history of the Reformation, the different groups and strands of thought that it produced, and how the ideas of the Reformation impacted American order.

Corresponding Reading 

Chapter 7, pp. 221-258 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding reading guide to The Roots of American Order here
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
• Glenn Moots, Politics Reformed and Justifying Revolution
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox

Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected].

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter 
• Instagram: @ulmcenter 
• Twitter: @ULmCenter

Contributors 

• Host: Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar
• Guest: Dr. Glenn Moots,
• Producers and Editors: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator & Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar 

Vital Remnants Producer Connor Tracy is joined by Dr. Justin Stover, Senior Lecturer of Medieval Latin at the University of Edinburgh, to explore what Russell Kirk calls our “neglected inheritance” from the Middle Ages. In addition to the influence of the Medieval world on America, the two discuss the culture of the Middle Ages and address some of the common misconceptions about the period.

Corresponding Reading  

Chapter 6, pp. 177-219 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding Reading Guide to The Roots of American Order here.
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox.
• Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at  [email protected]

Further Reading from the Middle Ages:

• Dante, The Divine Comedy
• Bernardus Silvestris, Cosmographia
• Hugh of Saint Victor, Didascalicon: A Medieval Guide to The Arts
• Alan of Lille, De Planctu Naturae (Lament of Nature)
• Alan of Lille, Anticlaudianus
• Sermons of Bernard of Clairvaux
• The Song of Roland
• The Song Of El Cid
• Beowulf

Further Reading about the Middle Ages

• C.S. Lewis, The Discarded Image
• Jean Leclercq, The Love of Learning and The Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture 
• Henri de Lubac, Medieval Exegesis: The Four Senses of Scripture

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

Facebook: @mcconnellcenter  

Instagram: @ulmcenter  

Twitter: @ULmCenter 

Contributors 

Host, Producer, and Editor: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator  

McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and Dr. Mark David Hall, Herbert Hoover Distinguished Professor of Politics at George Fox University, explore the influence of Christianity on American order. The two discuss the early history of Christianity, its relationship with politics, and how it influenced the Founders.

Corresponding Reading 

Chapter 5, pp. 137-176 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding reading guide to The Roots of American Order here
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
• Mark David Hall, Did America Have a Christian Founding?
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox
• Listen to Dr. Hall on The McConnell Center Podcast
• Watch Dr. Hall and Andrew Seidel consider whether America had a Christian founding here

Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected].

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter 
• Instagram: @ulmcenter 
• Twitter: @ULmCenter

Contributors 

• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director
• Guest: Dr. Mark David Hall, George Fox University 
• Producers and Editors: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator & Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar 

McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and University of Colorado, Boulder professor of classics Dr. E. Christian Kopff explore Ancient Rome and its influence on America. The two examine the impacts Latin, the Roman Republic, and the Roman Empire had on the development of American institutions and the Founders’ views of law and power.

Corresponding Reading 

Chapter 4, pp. 97-136 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding reading guide to The Roots of American Order here
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
• E. Christian Kopff, The Devil Knows Latin: Why America Needs the Classical Tradition 
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox

Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected].

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter 
• Instagram: @ulmcenter 
• Twitter: @ULmCenter

Contributors 

• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director
• Guest: Dr. E. Christian Kopff, University of American University 
• Producers and Editors: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator & Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar  

McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and Iowa State University political science professor Dr. N. Susan Laehn discuss the influence of the Ancient Greeks on the American Founding and beyond, examining Plato, Aristotle, Solon, and the city-state.

Corresponding Reading  

Chapter 3, pp. 51-96 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order. 

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding Reading Guide to The Roots of American Order here. 
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic 
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox
• Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected]

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter  
• Instagram: @ulmcenter  
• Twitter: @ULmCenter 

Contributors 

• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director 
• Guest: Dr. N. Susan Laehn, Iowa State University
• Producers and Editors: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator & Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar  

McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg and American University professor Dr. Daniel Dreisbach take listeners on an intellectual journey through time, examining the Hebraic tradition and ancient Israel’s influence on American ethics, culture, and government. 

Corresponding Reading  

Chapters 1 & 2, pp. 3-50 of Russell Kirk, The Roots of American Order. 

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding Reading Guide to The Roots of American Order here. 
• Learn more about The Roots of American Order at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic 
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox
• Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected]

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter  
• Instagram: @ulmcenter  
• Twitter: @ULmCenter 

Contributors 

• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director 
• Guest: Dr. Daniel Dreisbach, American University
• Producers and Editors: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator & Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar  

In this episode, McConnell Center Director Dr. Gary Gregg is joined by Dr. Bradley J. Birzer, Professor of History and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College, for a conversation on Russell Kirk’s The Roots of American Order. The two discuss the McConnell Center’s new book in common project and Kirk’s inspiration for the book.

This season of Vital Remnants uses Russell Kirk’s The Roots of American Order to explore the historical roots from which America has grown. Rather than focusing on one defining moment, episodes explore America’s inheritance from thousands of years of human history grounded in five key cities—Jerusalem, Athens, Rome, London, and Philadelphia. Each episode relates to a corresponding chapter and includes a conversation with a guest expert that goes beyond the text.

Important Links 

• Purchase a copy of Russell Kirk’s The Roots of American Order
• Download the corresponding reading guide to The Roots of American Order here
• Learn more about this year-long project at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/programs-events/bic
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox
• Share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected]

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

• Facebook: @mcconnellcenter  
• Instagram: @ulmcenter  
• Twitter: @ULmCenter 

Contributors 

• Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director 
• Guest: Dr. Bradley J. Birzer, Professor of History and Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies at Hillsdale College
• Producer and Editor: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator  
• Co-Editor: Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar  

 

Summary 

In this final episode of Season 4 of Vital Remnants, McConnell Center Director Gary Gregg closes out this series with an overview of Federalist 84-85 and five writings from the Anti-Federalists in Reflection and Choice: The Federalists, The Anti-Federalists, and the Debate that Defined America, edited by Gary L. Gregg II and Aaron N. Coleman. 

Dr. Gregg discusses Publius’s argument against a Bill of Rights and the Anti-Federalist demands for one. He ends with thoughts on how American government today can be viewed through the founding debates between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists. 

Corresponding Reading  

Section 14, pp. 571-600 of Gary L. Gregg II and Aaron N. Coleman, Reflection and Choice: The Federalists, The Anti-Federalists, and the Debate that Defined America. 

Important Links 

• Download the corresponding Reading Guide to Reflection and Choice here. 
• Learn more about Reflection and Choice at https://louisville.edu/mcconnellcenter/reflection 

• Purchase Reflection and Choice from ButlerBooks.com (Constitution Day Sale Price of $29.97) or Amazon.com ($49.95) Wholesale (bulk) discounts are available through [email protected]. 
• Subscribe to our newsletter and receive McConnell Center updates directly in your mailbox. 
• Please share any thoughts, questions, comments, or concerns with us via email at [email protected]. 

This podcast is a production of the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. For more information, including upcoming events, please visit us online at mcconnellcenter.org or on social media at: 

Facebook: @mcconnellcenter  

Instagram: @ulmcenter  

Twitter: @ULmCenter 

Contributors 

Host: Dr. Gary L. Gregg II, McConnell Center Director 

Producer and Editor: Connor Tracy, McConnell Center SBS Coordinator  

Co-Editor: Will Randolph, McConnell Scholar