What is The Promise of Liberty?

When the Signers of the Declaration of Independence proclaimed the self-evident truth, that all men are created equal, they knew that equality was not their reality. Even the most progressive Founders were constrained by the prejudices of their day. Still, they risked their lives for the revolutionary idea that a government should exist to benefit its citizens rather than its rulers, and they presciently saw the value of an expansive view of universal natural rights.

The Promise of Liberty aims to inspire current and future citizens to construct a better democracy and a stronger civil society. We aim to educate visitors, in person and remotely, about America’s aspirations, successes, failures, and the work that remains to be done. By focusing on shared sources of common values and strength, our goal is to motivate new generations to embrace the rights, responsibilities and benefits of civic participation. 

America’s unique value proposition, E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), must be more than a motto that only lives on our money or in our memory. The strength of the American tapestry comes from the contributions of people of all places, abilities, colors, creeds, classes, castes, sexes, genders, religions, and walks of life. 

Drawing from the experience and progress of the American Constitutional Experiment, we aim to reintroduce the Declaration, the Constitution and other documents of freedom not only as history, but also as technology—a system of applying knowledge to solve problems. Democracy is never easy and will never be perfect, but it remains the best technology yet devised to address issues of governance and society.

The Promise of Liberty anchors our narrative with a world-class collection of authentic historic documents. These are the words that created, and continue to create, the United States of America. The collection also features less heralded documents: the Constitutional Convention’s cover letter explains the centrality of compromise, noting that individuals “must give up a share of liberty to preserve the rest.” The first presidential Thanksgiving Proclamation reveals an abiding interest in fostering science and education among its citizens. George Washington’s “To Bigotry No Sanction” letter provides a Founders’ vision of a nation built on inclusiveness. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech from the March on Washington recognizes that the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution created a promissory note of liberty and justice to which all Americans would fall heir.

The Promise of Liberty Lab will feature tools for the public to advance democracy and address current challenges. In-person and online visitors can experiment with digital tools designed to foster discussion, debate, and compromise, and stimulate democratic processes.