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Anniversaries are a good time to reflect on who we are and where we have been. They also offer us a great opportunity to think about who we want to become and what we want to achieve in the years ahead.
So it is with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which we celebrate as a nation this year. It’s a time to reflect on the amazing progress the United States has made since its founding, our role as citizens and the future we want to build for generations of Americans yet to come.
As part of that celebration, Sagamore Institute recently hosted its annual Indiana Conference on Citizenship, featuring constitutional scholar and author Yuval Levin.
Levin, director of social, cultural and constitutional studies at the American Enterprise Institute, told the business, academic and nonprofit leaders gathered at the Indiana State Museum that the deep polarization we now see in our country is not new nor necessarily worse than at the time of America’s founding.
In fact, Levin noted in a conversation led by IBJ Media owner Nate Feltman that the framers built the Electoral College and other provisions of governing into our Constitution to address regional differences over difficult issues. Without a means to force compromise, those differences might have torn a young nation apart.
Levin also explained that the Constitution still holds the answer for how we can reduce political tensions today.
Our republic, Levin said, is designed for Congress to be the strongest of the federal government’s three branches. Yet, throughout our modern history, it’s the presidency that increasingly holds dominance in our government, in no small part because Congress has for years ceded more of its authority to the executive branch.
The U.S. House and Senate have been constitutionally constructed to force debate and compromise so that no one political party or region of the country can dominate for long. But now, with so much political weight centered in the Oval Office, every presidential election takes on more consequence than it should. And those high-stakes elections leave Americans understandably fearful about the nation’s direction and their own future if the “wrong” candidate wins.
“What you are supposed to win in an American election is a seat at the table,” Levin said. “And that seat means you must work on hard negotiations. The legislative process can be frustrating, but the answer to getting things done is to build a bigger coalition.”
Levin also emphasized the preeminent role of citizens at the center of the American experiment.
At Sagamore Institute, we likewise champion the essential role of everyday citizens in our democracy through our solution-oriented research and with events that promote civic engagement as well as educational and economic opportunity.
As a partner in that approach to citizenship, and as a former governor of Indiana, one of us (Eric) is launching A Better Way Policy Institute to promote civic education and engagement in high schools in Indiana. Our nation will remain strong in the decades ahead only if we equip emerging generations to lead in ways that encourage citizen involvement in decision-making and respect the right of all Americans to help shape our democracy with their votes and their advocacy.
Levin pointed out a vital truth about America as we prepare to celebrate a milestone anniversary: Freedom comes with responsibility.
Those responsibilities include staying informed about important policy issues, engaging in civil conversations with our leaders, listening respectfully to those who hold different viewpoints and, of course, voting in local, state and national elections.
At the Conference on Citizenship, we asked those in attendance a timely question: How are you planning to put citizenship to work this year?
Each of us can answer that question in a variety of good ways, such as registering to vote, learning more about the Constitution and our nation’s history, promoting civic engagement and education among young people, reaching out with respect to those who hold differing opinions, or volunteering with organizations that help build stronger communities.
The important thing — the essential thing — is that we commit together to answering that question to the best of our abilities and with the hope and faith that America’s next 250 years of freedom will be even better for our democracy and for all who call our nation home.•
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Holcomb served two terms as Indiana’s 51st governor. Lubbers is president of Sagamore Institute.
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