Remembering the Union
Opal's address will focus on a word familiar to Americans but perhaps less frequently examined than the Constitution itself: “Union.”
The theme grew in part from his concern about the country's political divisions and what history can teach Americans about navigating them.
“I'm concerned about the depth and acrimony of our political divides,” Opal said. “I've studied these divides in the past, and ours are quite serious.”
His goal, he said, is to bring historical perspective to contemporary questions while considering ways Americans might move forward together.
When Opal speaks of the Union, he is making a deliberate distinction.
“I'm talking about a ‘Union’ because that is how the Constitution originally imagined the United States—not as a ‘country,’ nor as a ‘nation,’ but as a Union of separate, different places and people who positively choose to live together,” he said.
That distinction is central to his message.
Rather than eliminating disagreement, Opal sees value in recognizing that disagreement has always been part of the American experience.
“The key thing is not to ‘find’ common ground, but to embrace the common ground we already inhabit,” he said. “Then, disagreeing isn't threatening or angry or scary, but normal and healthy.”
An imperfect document designed for improvement
Opal also plans to examine the Constitution's limitations, including its relationship with slavery and the contradiction that ultimately contributed to the collapse of the original Union during the Civil War.
For a historian, acknowledging those shortcomings does not require dismissing the achievements of the people who created the document.
“I actually find the Constitution to be a pretty straightforward, realistic, ‘how-to’ document, as opposed to an idealistic statement such as the Declaration of Independence,” Opalsaid.
The Framers understood that what they created was imperfect, he said, pointing to both the Constitution's call for a “more perfect Union” and the amendment process they included.
“So, I see no tension between recognizing their achievements while studying their shortcomings,” he said.
Preparing the address has even caused Opal, who has studied the document throughout his career, to see parts of it differently.
“I've read it a thousand times, but preparing for a speech made me see new things in the Preamble,” he said.
One historical voice has been particularly present as he prepares: Abraham Lincoln.
Opal said he has repeatedly returned to Lincoln's speeches and writings about the Union during the late 1850s and following his election in 1860, as the country moved toward Civil War.
History in the dean's office
The same training that shapes Opal's Constitution Day address also influences how he approaches his role leading the Mansfield campus.
“History is great at training you to separate noise from fact and to distill facts from information — and misinformation,” Opal said. “It is really good at teaching you to analyze problems and communicate clearly.”
“In that sense, I use my history training every day, to the best of my ability.”
Opal became dean and director of Ohio State Mansfield in August 2024 after serving at McGill University in Canada, where his positions included chair of the Department of History and Classical Studies and associate dean of graduate studies. His scholarship has focused on early American history as well as infectious diseases.
Although his administrative responsibilities mean less time in the classroom, Opal said working with college students continues to shape his outlook on the country's future.
“Working with and teaching young people always fills me with hope,” he said. “That's one thing I really don't like about being a dean—I don't get to teach as much!”
Opal believes universities have an important role in teaching students how to encounter disagreement without treating it as a threat.
He describes universities as “safe harbors”—not places free from disagreement, but places where disagreement can happen constructively.
“Harbors are busy, loud, lively, and sometimes a little edgy,” Opal said. “But safe harbors also give shelter from storms.”
“In like fashion, universities should be places where people argue safely—where they encounter new ideas and come out better for it.”
Choosing to be free together
Despite the divisions he sees in American life, Opal's message is ultimately a hopeful one.
History offers examples of periods when Americans faced deep uncertainty and conflict, he said, including the 1780s, 1850s and 1920s. Some ended far better than others.
But Opal also sees reasons for optimism in everyday American life.
“Americans are great at working together in local, specific ways,” he said. “Americans are remarkably friendly and egalitarian in spirit.”
“There is plenty of reason for hope and confidence.”
And when people leave the Wexner Center following his Constitution Day address, Opalhopes one thought remains with them.
“That we Americans do best when we choose to be free together.”
Learn more and register: https://oaa.osu.edu/events/constitution-day-remember-our-union
September 17, 2026
4:30 - 6 p.m.
Wexner Center for the Arts
1871 N. High St.
Columbus, Ohio 43210
