Program Information

The American Presidency

Saturday, May 1, 2010

The Chicago Area Yale Clubs

Chicago, Illinois

The presidency is the most enigmatic of American institutions. It draws out the highest hopes for the future of our nation, but it also taps our deepest concerns about power and accountability. At one moment, we worry that it might be unstoppable; at the next, we worry that it seems beleaguered and besieged. The Constitution offers only the barest outlines for this office, and its framers could never have imagined its current range and reach. How, then, are we to understand the presidency today?

On Saturday May 1, 2010, a distinguished panel of Yale scholars tackles this question. Akhil Amar, Joanne Freeman and Stephen Skowronek offer fresh perspectives based on their expertise in constitutional law, American history, and political science respectively. Together, they will illuminate the relationship between the original conception of the presidency and the office as we have now come to know it. Come join fellow alumni in the Windy City for a day to enlighten, enrich and engage!