Lecture Marks Constitution Day

By MAXWELL REESE & OCEANA FELIPE-SIRNIC

On Sept. 18, 238 years and one day after the creation of the United States Constitution, Dr. Nicholas Buccola was featured as the guest speaker for Seton Hill University’s celebration of Constitution Day. The event was named “We the People: Frederick Douglass on the American Constitution.”

Students and staff had the opportunity to learn about this historical document through the lens of Frederick Douglass, a former slave, prominent abolitionist, and author.  “I’m trying to bring to life this amazing tradition,” said Buccola following a discussion with an American literature survey class earlier that day. “I always tell myself that if I can give a talk or teach a class and it inspires somebody in there to want to engage the material that I’m talking about more deeply, then I feel like I’ve done a good thing in the world.”

Buccola is a professor of political philosophy at Claremont McKenna College. 

“I primarily teach American political thought, African American political thought,” said Buccola. Buccola is also a well published author of a variety of books including, “The Political Thought of Frederick Douglass,” and “The Fire is Upon Us.” His latest work, “One Man’s Freedom,” which details the political conflicts between Barry Goldwater and Martin Luther King Jr., is set to release on Oct. 7, 2025.   

Buccola started the event with a description of who Douglass was and his life before becoming an abolitionist, detailing his life as a slave and his eventual freedom. Buccola then structured the night’s lecture through excerpts of the Constitution’s preamble. The line “a more perfect union,” for example, was paired with a passage from Douglass’s 1852 “Fifth of July” speech. 

Buccola ended his presentation with a powerful quote from Frederick Douglass.

“Without a struggle, there can be no progress.”

Following the lecture’s conclusion, Buccola began an open discussion between himself and the attendees. Buccola and the audience touched on topics such as what Douglass may feel about the modern political moment or how to engage with the works of historical figures.