Florida Atlantic: Celebrating America

America’s independence may have been earned through determination and battle, but it was proclaimed through its founding documents. The Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and other early texts formalized the establishment of a new nation and articulated the principles by which it would govern. Two and a half centuries later, those texts remain the foundation of American democracy and serve as a guiding light for understanding its ideals.

At Florida Atlantic, the celebration of America’s 250th anniversary this year offers more than a momentary appreciation for the past. It provides a renewed focus on the first principles that shaped the country, creating opportunities to engage with them in the historical and intellectual contexts in which they emerged.

Marvin & Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection

Central to that effort is the Marvin & Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection, housed in Florida Atlantic’s S.E. Wimberly Library. It is a primary source of historical scholarship that includes original 18th-century books, newspapers, pamphlets and political writings that document the birth of a nation.

Inspired to emulate the personal libraries of Founding Fathers like Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, Marvin Weiner spent a lifetime collecting more than 13,000 works of the era. In that spirit, the collection reflects the prevailing discourse of early American thinkers, including concepts of freedom and liberty, constitutional issues in the United States and broader philosophical treatises.

Preserved together, these works reveal the founding as a period shaped by inquiry and debate. Much like academic traditions today, the ideas they explored were not fixed conclusions, but questions and arguments meant to be examined and responded to publicly.

This practice is evidenced in the holdings themselves. With the Weiner family’s recent donation of a first edition, first printing of Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense,” the collection now includes a total of eight 1776 editions of the influential pamphlet that galvanized colonial support for independence. A rare issue of the “Pennsylvania Evening Post” from July 6, 1776, contains the first published printing of the Declaration of Independence, tracing its early circulation. And a first complete edition of “The Federalist Papers” serves as a vivid reminder of the arguments raised in support of ratifying the U.S. Constitution.

True to this early and ongoing dialectic with our nation’s founding documents, the Weiner Spirit of America Collection is designed to be studied and experienced. Marvin Weiner’s philanthropic mission was to help others develop an appreciation for American history through personal exposure, and the collection advances that aim by welcoming visitors from both the university community and the public. Whether visiting by appointment or during regular hours, access to the collection underscores the importance of physical archives and the role universities play in preserving foundational texts.

“Working with primary sources changes the way students understand the founding,” said Victoria Thur, assistant dean for special collections, archives and distinctive collections. “It is an honor to steward a collection of this significance and to share it with our students and the broader community.”

Every year, the Florida Atlantic Libraries special collections team provides formal tours and presentations to hundreds of students from universities and K-12 schools, as well as local history groups and organizations such as EverScholar, the Daughters of the American Revolution, St. George’s Society and the Society of Colonial Wars. Through the Department of History and other programs, students also routinely pursue in-depth research using the collection’s primary sources for coursework, conference presentations and published scholarship.

Advanced research is further sustained through the Florida Atlantic-Huntington Library Short-Term Collaborative Fellowship, a doctoral research program in partnership with The Huntington Library in San Marino, California.

The fellowship is supported by Howard Weiner, M.D., son of Marvin and Sybil Weiner, and his wife, Judith, as part of their ongoing commitment to enhancing the reach and impact of the Weiner Spirit of America Collection.

Visiting fellows present annually at the Spirit of America Research Symposium, sharing original work grounded in the collection’s primary source materials. This fall, the symposium will commemorate America’s 250th anniversary and the 20th anniversary of the collection with an expanded two-day event.

“We are thrilled with the FAU Libraries for its superb stewardship of our father’s nationally acclaimed collection,” Howard Weiner said. “It is our privilege to support FAU in perpetuity in thanks for having immensely enriched our lives.”

In the 20 years since Florida Atlantic became home to the Spirit of America Collection, the university has served as an honored steward of the nation’s history through the careful preservation, cataloging, digitizing and public access of its holdings. This longstanding task of ensuring that the founding documents are encountered as living historical discussions is a responsibility spanning decades.

“Collections like the Marvin &Sybil Weiner Spirit of America Collection are part of our nation’s civic memory,” said Linda Marie Golian-Lui, Ph.D., dean of Florida Atlantic Libraries. “Our stewardship ensures these materials are preserved with the highest standards of care, and that their wisdom is actively shared with students, faculty, researchers, and staff at Florida Atlantic University, as well as with the broader community and a global audience through our digital collections. The Florida Atlantic Libraries welcome everyone to engage with and learn from these materials during this milestone year and beyond.”

Alan B. and Charna Larkin American Presidential Study

Another special collection adding to the dialogue surrounding America’s semiquincentennial is the Alan B. and Charna Larkin American Presidential Study, also in the Wimberly Library. The collection features a rare archive of letters signed by every U.S. president since George Washington.

The 1,500-square-foot presidential study was established through the generosity of longtime Florida Atlantic benefactor Charna Larkin in memory of her late husband, Alan Larkin.

“Alan loved history, and he had compiled an amazing collection of signed presidential letters,” Larkin said. “He would love to have known that all these letters were on display at Florida Atlantic as a way to encourage students to learn more about the presidency.”

Opened in 2025, the study also serves as the archival home of the annual Alan B. and Charna Larkin Symposium on the American Presidency. For more than 20 years, the symposium has brought renowned scholars, national leaders and presidential experts to Florida Atlantic, supporting civic engagement for students and community members alike.

“We are grateful to the Larkin family for entrusting Florida Atlantic with Alan’s legacy and collection,” said FAU President Adam Hasner. “The study and symposium provide unparalleled opportunities for students and visitors to experience history through the lens of the American presidency.”

As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the responsibility of preserving and supporting engagement with the nation’s founding texts takes on renewed significance. In this moment of national reflection, while looking ahead to the next century, Florida Atlantic will continue to safeguard the voices of the past, keeping the first generation of Americans in conversation with those who will write its future.