The Cary and Ann Maguire Chair in Ethics and American History
The Cary and Ann Maguire Chair in Ethics and American History was established to explore the history of America with special attention to the ethical dimensions of domestic economic, political, and social policies.
The Chairholder, who is appointed by the Librarian of Congress, conducts research on the ethical issues associated with leadership in the United States and/or on the ethical implications of significant issues, events and movements in American History.
The research includes, but is not limited to, the conduct of politics and of government at all levels of American life and in all branches of government, and at the role in religion, business, urban affairs, law, science and medicine in the ethical dimension of leadership.
The goal is for research that will illuminate the responsible use of ethical knowledge for the public good. The Chairholder concentrates on domestic American matters with special emphasis on how law relates to ethics, and it is hoped that the Chairholder will add new substance to the intellectual and ethical life of the Capital. It is also hoped that the Chairholder will pursue a new and refreshing voice in the intellectual milieu of Washington, D.C., and will bring both philosophical depth and historical perspective to the research.
A major address towards the end of the Chairholder's tenure is one of the major intellectual occasions at the Library of Congress.
Chair Holders
2010
James F. Childress
Lecture: "Respecting Conscience, Protecting Patients: Unresolved Tensions in American Health Care"
[Webcast]
2007
William F. May
Lecture: “Containing Runaway Fear in Foreign Policy: Recovering Our National Identity”
[Webcast]
Lecture: “Testing the National Covenant: Fears and Appetites in American Politics”
[Webcast]
2006
Louis Galambos
Lecture: “Business in History”
[Webcast]
2004
Mark Noll
Lecture: “The Bible in American Public Life, 1860-2005”
[Webcast]
2003
Jean Bethke Elshtain
Lecture: "Harry Potter, St. Augustine and the Confrontation with Evil"
[Webcast]
2001
John T. Noonan

