Our country faces growing national amnesia of the constitutional foundations of our freedom and self-government.
On most school days at the American Village students step into roles as delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1787. They discover a remarkable document that begins with the words "We the People..." They gaze at the "Rising Sun Chair" and perhaps realize that individually as citizens and leaders they will help decide whether the sun is still a rising sun for our country.
The American Village aims to broaden and enhance the impact of its programs based on the Constitution and America's Charters of Freedom. The centerpiece of this facility and educational program expansion will be Independence Hall and Congress Hall Classrooms.
Inspired by America's Independence Hall and adjoining Congress Hall of Philadelphia, the American Village's expansion will be an extraordinary setting for both student and public programs with a compelling focus on America's great Charters of Freedom:
- The Declaration of Independence
- The United States Constitution
- The Bill of Rights
These documents are more than historic relics on old parchment. They represent what Jefferson called "the creed of our political faith; the text of civic instruction." They remain our Nation's fundamental principles that "secure the blessings of liberty" to this and future generations.
Engage Citizens and Leaders in the Stewardship of Liberty
Our country faces growing national amnesia of the constitutional foundations of our freedom and self-government.
When the framers of the Constitution adjourned the convention and left the Pennsylvania Statehouse on September 17, 1787, they had no assurance their work would succeed. The framers had done their work. Now their work was in the hands of the American people.
George Washington declared the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty (which was the object of the American Revolution) and the destiny of the republican model of government are staked on the experiment in the hands of the American people.
The American experiment has been tested throughout American history, in times of poverty and prosperity, war and peace, division and unity. It is tried and tested anew in each generation. Circumstances of the present time now offer new challenges that test whether the experiment will remain successful.
We must be good stewards of the liberty our founding generation secured for us. To each generation falls the task to choose to form a more perfect union and to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity. Through example and education, the American Village encourages citizens and leaders in the stewardship of our American liberty.
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