Hugh Liebert & Robert McDonald: How West Point Teaches the American Founding

Higher Ed Now · Nov 5, 2026 · 59m

How does West Point prepare future military leaders to understand and defend the American constitutional republic? On this episode of Higher Ed Now: Civics Edition, ACTA president Michael Poliakoff speaks with United States Military Academy (West Point) professors Hugh Liebert and Robert McDonald. Professors Liebert and McDonald co-direct West Point’s American Foundations Project minor, an ACTA-recognized Oasis of Excellence. The professors discuss how they instill in West Point cadets the importance of defending the American constitutional republic while avoiding both historical reverence…