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Fidelity & Excellence91 Aquinas College is unique among American colleges and universities, offering a faithfully Catholic education comprised entirely of the Great Books and classroom discussions.
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A Liberating Education
Truth MattersTruth, and nothing less, sets men free; and because truth is both natural and supernatural, the Colleges curriculum aims at both natural and divine wisdom.
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A Catholic Life
Under the Light of FaithThe intellectual tradition and moral teachings of the Catholic Church infuse the whole life of 91 Aquinas College, illuminating the curriculum and the community alike.
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Is TAC Right for You?Do you enjoy grappling with complex questions? Are you willing to engage in discussions about difficult concepts, with the truth as your ultimate goal?
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Mind, Body & SpiritThere is always something to do at TAC something worthwhile, something fulfilling, and something geared toward ever-greater spiritual and intellectual growth.
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Alumni & Careers
What Can You Do with a Liberal Education?Nothing speaks more to the versatility of the Colleges academic program than the good that our alumni are doing throughout the Church and the world.
Alumni Ink: Dr. Adam Seagrave (05) on the U.S. Constitution
In the wake of a historic presidential election rife with questions about constitutionalism, alumnus scholar Dr. S. Adam Seagrave (05) has published a timely essay considering the role of the U.S. Constitution in contemporary American political life. In a review for The Public Discourse, he compares three recent books on Americas founding document, offering an analysis of the common themes throughout all three and his own insight about some of the opinions they present.
Read: by Dr. S. Adam Seagrave (05)
The essay, delves into four major themes the books cover, all aimed at renewing interest and zeal for the principles of the U.S. Constitution. Dr. Seagrave tackles such topics as Congressional reform, the issue of race and the Civil War, and the difference between the capital C Constitution the document itself and the ideas it contains and the small c constitution, which includes the cultural mores that expand far beyond the confines of the actual document.
It is uncontroversial and incontrovertible to claim that the proper functioning of the American political system as envisioned by the Framers relies on certain cultural prerequisites, Dr. Seagrave writes, responding to one authors conflation of the principles of the capital C and small c constitutions. What is controvertible, and what I would in fact venture to controvert, is that these prerequisites are primarily derivative from or dependent upon the Constitution itself.
An associate professor of civic and economic thought and leadership at Arizona State University, Dr. Seagrave is co-founder and co-director of the Race and the American Story project. He has published four books and countless essays on American political philosophy and is a regular contributor to The Public Discourse.
In the primary section of his essay, Dr. Seagrave undertakes a discussion of the terms DzԲԳ, consensus, and compromise. Two of the authors he studies conclude that the latter words embody the political goal of the U.S. Constitution. Dr. Seagrave, however, argues that the founding fathers did not see these two terms in the same light and, in fact, preferred the former word, consent, as it more properly aligns with the fundamental rights of man.
The founders believed in the principle of consent because they believed in the concept of natural (or 'unalienable') rights, Dr. Seagrave explains. It is because individuals possess natural rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness that government can only derive its just powers from the consent of the governed. The primary meaning of unalienable is not that the object in question cannot be taken away, but that it cannot begiven up.
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