Judge J. Michael Luttig
Lawyer and former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
Since its founding a quarter of a millennium ago, America has been the beacon of freedom and liberty to the world because of the shining light of its democracy and its rule by law.
An anxious and hopeful world is celebrating the birth of our nation with us this year, as we Americans are deciding what we want for our America, what we want our America to be, and what we do not want it to be for the next 250 years. Do we want the America that our Founders envisioned and created, and that has made America the envy of the world for a quarter of a millennium, or do we want something different now, two-and-a-half centuries later?
With hope in their hearts, courage in their breasts, and “a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence,” our ancestors “mutually pledged to each other their Lives, their Fortunes, and their sacred Honor” to secure their independence from the British Crown and to establish this “new nation conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”
If we are to bequeath what Abraham Lincoln described as our “political edifice of liberty and equal rights” to our descendants, we must “dedicate ourselves to the great task that remains before us” yet, 250 years later, “to transmit this ‘goodly land’ and this ‘political edifice of liberty’ to the latest generation that fate shall permit the world to know.”
We Americans must summon from deep within ourselves the collective courage of the armies of God that was once our Founders’ courage, and we must once again speak with the moral clarity of “We the People,” as we have in the past.
We must remember that it is we who “ordained and established this Constitution” “in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.”
If we have but the faith, hope, and courage that our Founders and ancestors did when their time of testing came, the United States of America will pass with flying colors the test it faces today on this, its 250th anniversary, and America will once again be the envy of the world.
“If we have but the faith, hope, and courage that our Founders and ancestors did when their time of testing came, the United States of America will pass with flying colors the test it faces today.”
Judge J. Michael Luttig
Additional By The People Voices
Dr. Darrick Hamilton
Dr. Darrick Hamilton, founding director of Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School, defines “democracy by the people” as the power to influence societal structures, arguing that democracy necessitates both political inclusion and the resources to thrive.
Lori McGlinchey
Lori McGlinchey, Ford’s Technology and Society director, reflects on what AI “by the people” must look like—technology designed to protect fundamental rights, minimize harm, and elevate human dignity.
Alberto Ramos
Alberto Ramos, CEO of Veterans for All Voters, reflects on what democracy means as a veteran, urging citizens to safeguard voting access and create a system that honors the principles veterans fought to uphold.
Erica Smiley
Erica Smiley, executive director of Jobs With Justice, reflects on how workers’ ability to shape economic systems and conditions upholds democracy.
Amy Spitalnick
Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, calls for an inclusive, pluralistic democracy that protects the rights of every community, fosters cross-community unity, and addresses extremism through mutual trust and partnership.
Chase Strangio
Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, reflects on the legal system’s role and its constraints, suggesting that art serves as a pathway for envisioning a new future for the LGBTQ+ community.
Erika Wood
Ford Foundation senior program officer Erika Wood reflects on the critical need to strengthen the American democratic system to ensure full inclusion, robust participation, and true representation for all.
