Peter Schramm loved America as only someone who was born in a country run by totalitarians who fear freedom can. His father escaped with the family from Communist Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 and settled, providentially, in Southern California. It was there, at the Claremont Graduate School and particularly under Harry Jaffa, that Peter studied U.S. history and government. It was the beginning of a lifelong study that culminated in his most important contribution to the preservation of our Republic — the Ashbrook Center’s summer program in American history and government for high-school history teachers. More than 10,000 high school teachers have graduated from the program since 1987, all influenced by Peter Schramm’s presentation of American political thought and the role of leaders like Abraham Lincoln.
Peter Schramm was an intellectual force, principled and provocative — on full display during his presidency of the Philadelphia Society — and always, always, proud to be an American. His legacy is secure and ever expanding in the person of the thousands of teachers who learned about the exceptionalism of America from an exceptional teacher.