Institute for Constitutional History Fall 2025 Seminar: Native Peoples, American Colonialism, and the US Constitution

Meeting Dates & Times:
Fridays, November 7 and 21, December 5 and 12, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Instructors: Maggie Blackhawk, Ned Blackhawk

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, this seminar invites a critical examination of a central paradox in American constitutional history: how can a nation celebrate a founding document and constitutional tradition built, in part, on the dispossession of Indigenous homelands?

Despite this deep entanglement, Native history remains marginalized within the fields of constitutional history and mainstream constitutional scholarship. This seminar explores emerging historical and legal literature that re-centers Native peoples and American colonialism in the narrative of US constitutional development.

INSTRUCTORS:
Maggie Blackhawk (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe) is a professor of law at NYU. Ned Blackhawk (Te-Moak Band of Western Shoshone) is the Howard R. Lamar Professor of History at Yale University.

The seminar will be presented in person* at The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024, on the following dates:
Friday, November 7, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Friday, November 21, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Friday, December 5, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET
Friday, December 12, 2025 | 11 am–2 pm ET

Accepted students will receive further instructions and the classroom location within The New York Historical.

*Although we encourage students to attend the class in person, livestream participation will be offered to admitted students who do not live in the New York Metropolitan Area or who are unable to attend a class in person. If you are interested in attending some or all of the class sessions virtually, please indicate this in your application statement.

APPLICATION PROCESS:
The seminar is designed for graduate students and junior faculty in history, political science, law, and related disciplines. All participants will be expected to complete the assigned readings and participate in seminar discussions.

Space is limited. To apply, please submit the following material to ich@nyhistory.org by October 10, 2025:
Your C.V.
A short statement on how this seminar will be useful to you in your research, teaching, or professional development.
Successful applicants will be notified soon thereafter. For further information, please email Andrew Fletcher at ich@nyhistory.org.