F5C. American Top Ten: The Legacy of Exclusion
History & World Affairs | Registration opens 2/25/2026 9:00 AM
This course explores how the United States’ founding documents and legal systems have shaped inequality through both what they declare and what they omit. This five-session series investigates the laws and decisions that enforced slavery, erased women’s rights, displaced Indigenous nations, and marginalized voters. By closely examining key legal texts and their consequences, participants will reflect on how courts and lawmakers drew lines that excluded entire groups. Together, we’ll consider how civic memory changes when we focus on the laws that restrict freedom, not just those that promise it.
- Image courtesy of Shutterstock
Edward Ingebretsen
Presenter
Edward Ingebretsen, PhD, holds degrees in theology and ethics and a doctorate in American Studies/Theology. His publications (books, journals) consider the intersection of gender, race, theology, and popular cultures. He concentrates on nonhuman animal ethics and American race and social history.
Robert Beaury
Presenter & Producer
Robert Beaury, MS, (LLI) is a retired high school social studies teacher and college adjunct. He earned a BA in history and political science from Hunter College and an MS in education from Sage Graduate Schools. He has presented courses at LLI in history and government since 2019.