The American experiment did not end with independence, nor was it completed with the ratification of the Constitution. From its beginning, the United States was understood as an ongoing project—an experiment in self-government that would require each generation to decide whether it was willing to sustain it. As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the central…
Self-government was one of the most radical ideas to emerge from the American Revolution. In 1776, the founders declared that legitimate government derives its authority from the consent of the governed. That principle placed extraordinary trust in ordinary people. But it also carried an implicit warning: self-government can only endure if citizens are willing to…
