IGC K-12 Teacher Symposium

Date & Time: July 8th, 2026 @ 5:30 PM

Location: Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center

The Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University, in partnership with the Florida Center for Reading Research, invite Florida teachers to the IGC’s 2026 Summer Symposium—We Hold These Truths.

In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, this special gathering will explore the ideas, debates, and documents that shaped the nation’s founding and continue to influence civic life today. Participants will engage with some of America’s leading scholars of history, government, and civic education, gaining deeper insight into the principles of liberty, equality, and self-government that define the American experiment. Through dynamic lectures, rich discussions, and classroom-ready resources, teachers will leave inspired and better equipped to bring the story of America’s founding to life for their students.

Apply Here

Keynote Speaker

Brendan McConville

Brendan McConville is a native of New Jersey. He wrote his doctoral dissertation at Brown University under the direction of Gordon S. Wood and received his Ph.D in 1992. Professor McConville is the author of The Brethren: A Story of Faith and Conspiracy in Revolutionary America (Harvard University Press, 2022); The King’s Three Faces: The Rise and Fall of Royal America(UNC Press, 2006); and These Daring Disturbers of the Public Peace: The Struggle for Property and Power in Early New Jersey (Cornell University Press, 1999), as well as being the co-creator and co-host of the radio program The Historians, which airs on 1550 AM Boston. He is currently a professor of history at Boston University and is head of The David Center for the American Revolution at the American Philosophical Society in Philadelphia, as well as a trustee of the David Library of the American Revolution. Professor McConville is also a fellow of the Colonial Society of Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Historical Society.

Section Leaders

Dustin Gish

Dustin Gish is a Professor in The Honors College at the University of Houston, where he teaches Great Books and courses in political philosophy and American political thought. He is the author of Xenophon’s Socratic Rhetoric (Bloomsbury, 2022) and co-author of Thomas Jefferson and the Science of Republican Government (Cambridge University Press, 2017), and is currently working on studies of Thomas Jefferson’s diplomacy and Machiavelli’s princes.

Robert Ross

Professor Ross’ research and teaching focuses on American political development, constitutional theory, and the development of representative institutions in American politics. He is the author of the books The Framers' Intentions: The Myth of the Nonpartisan Constitution, Between Liberty and Stability: John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and the Enduring Difficulty of Building and Maintaining a Regime, and Debating the Size of the House: Competing Theories of Representation and the History of Reapportionment.

Sean Hadley

Sean Hadley is Teaching Faculty I at the Institute for Governance and Civics at Florida State University. His current research projects focus on the pedagogical practice of reading aloud for the formation of virtue, as well as the political underpinnings in film adaptations of Ernest Hemingway’s work. Before coming to FSU, Dr. Hadley worked in the classical classroom for over a decade while researching, writing, and presenting on a broad range of topics. Dr. Hadley received his Ph.D. from the Great Books Honors College at Faulkner University and completed his post-doctoral work with the University of Arkansas’s Classical Education Research Lab.

Day 1 – July 8

5:30 – 6:15 Reception

6:15 – 7:00 Dinner

7:00 – 8:00 Welcome Address

Day 2 – July 9

9:00 – 10:15 Session 1

10:15 – 10:30 Break

10:30 – 11:45 Session 2

11:45 – 1:15 Lunch Break

1:15 – 2:30 Session 3

2:30 – 2:45 Break

2:45 – 4:00 Session 4

4:00 – 6:00 Break

6:00 – 8:00 Dinner and Keynote Address

Day 3 – July 10

8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast

9:00 – 10:15 Session 5

10:15 – 10:30 Break

10:30 – 11:45 Session 6

11:45 – 12:00 Break

12:00 – 1:00 Lunch and Closing Remarks

*This schedule is tentative. The exact timing of sessions and breaks is subject to change.

Rights Exist by Nature, Not by Permission

Session Leader: Dustin Gish

Key question: Where do rights come from?

Aligned Standard: SS.5.CG.1.1 Recognize that the Declaration of Independence affirms that every U.S. citizen has certain unalienable rights.

Assigned Reading(s): Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, Virginia Declaration of Rights

Government Derives its Just Powers from the Consent of the Governed

Session Leader: Robert Ross

Key Question: Where does political power come from?

Aligned Standards:

SS.3.CG.1.2 Describe how the U.S. government gains its power from the people.

SS.7.CG.1.6 Analyze the ideas and grievances set forth in the Declaration of Independence

Assigned Reading(s): Coming soon

All Men Are Created Equal

Session Leader: Savannah Johnston

Key Question: What was the purpose and significance of this claim?

Aligned Standards:

SS.5.A.5.3 Explain the significance of historical documents including key political concepts, origins of these concepts and their role in American independence.

SS.5.A.4.6 Describe the introduction, impact and role of slavery in the colonies.

Assigned Reading(s): Second Treatise of Government

The Pursuit of Happiness

Session Leader: Rachel Cambre

Key Question: What is the purpose of liberty in a well-lived life?

Aligned Standards:

SS.5.A.5.3 Explain the significance of historical documents including key political concepts and their role in American independence.

SS.5.CG.1.1 Recognize that the Declaration affirms fundamental rights including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Assigned Reading(s): Coming soon

People Have the Right to Reject Tyranny

Session Leader: David Ramsey

Key Question: What were the arguments for and against separation?

Aligned Standard: SS.5.CG.2.1 Discuss the political ideas of Patriots, Loyalists, and other colonists about the American Revolution.

Assigned Reading(s): Coming soon

Bringing the Declaration to the Classroom

Session Leader: Sean Hadley

Overview: This session helps teachers translate the principles of the Declaration of Independence into classroom practice. The session emphasizes using historical events, perspectives, and primary sources to foster critical thinking and civic understanding.

All sessions and provided meals will take place at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center.

555 W. Pensacola St.

Parking: Parking will be provided on-site at the conference center

Hotel Accommodations: TBD

Participants who attend all three days of the symposium will be provided a $500 stipend. Additionally, hotel accommodations will be provided July 8 and 9, 2026. To receive the stipend, partisans must be registered in FSU’s Payment Works system. For questions on this process, contact Chelsea Starke (cstarke@fsu.edu).

All Florida teachers are eligible to apply. Priority acceptance will be given to participants in the FIREWORKS250 program, followed by fellow teachers in FIREWORKS250 schools, 5th grade teachers, then 4th and 6th grade teachers.

The deadline to apply is April 30, 2026

Complete the application here

Events