Humanitas: American Origins Program

Unlike most contemporary approaches to history, which reflect the fashions and biases of the fleeting present, Humanitas offers students something more substantial. Following C.S. Lewis’ stout defense of reading primary sources in “On the Reading of Old Books,” Humanitas will help “persuade the young that firsthand knowledge is not only more worth acquiring than secondhand knowledge, but it is usually much easier and more delightful to acquire.” Geared towards history, humanities, and humane letters courses, the Humanitas series offers a continuous, unfolding narrative of Western Civilization through a collection of carefully curated primary source documents. Full program includes: Humanitas: American Origins Humanitas: American Origins guides students through primary sources that trace the origins of the American experiment. Beginning with the myths and politics of Native Americans, the curriculum moves into a select tour of the peoples, ideas, and events that were most responsible fo