America began with an armed revolution. According to the Declaration of Independence, if the people were not happy with their government it was their right to "alter and abolish it." But armed rebellion is a messy path for political reform. Surely, there must be another way to change the government without taking up arms?

In 1963, John Lewis envisioned a non-violent revolution that would achieve the ends of freedom and liberty without taking up arms. In this "unfinished revolution," current enemies are seen as future friends. Black and white, men and women, rich and poor, he argued, must learn to work together for their mutual benefit. 

This presentation will consider the theory and practice of Lewis's unfinished revolution. We'll consider the philosophical underpinnings to non-violence, drawing on Gandhi's satyagraha and Catholic understandings of natural law. We'll also think practically about what it would take for us to engage in a revolution in which our current enemies are seen as future friends.