"The price of freedom is eternal vigilance."

  America’s founding documents — the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights — enshrined bold, world-changing ideals: liberty, equality, and self-government. The Founders built a framework of freedom unlike any the world had seen, guaranteeing fundamental rights and placing power in the hands of the people. But at the beginning, those promises were limited — not yet extended to everyone. The ideals were universal; the reality was unfinished.

Generation after generation, brave Americans took up the work of making those promises real. Abraham Lincoln preserved the Union and ended slavery through the 13th Amendment, redefining freedom itself. Harriet Tubman risked her life to lead enslaved people to freedom, embodying the fight for human dignity. Susan B. Anthony and generations of suffragists fought tirelessly until women won the right to vote, expanding democracy to half the population. Rosa Parks’ quiet defiance on a Montgomery bus helped ignite a movement that reshaped civil rights in America. César Chávez and farmworker organizers demanded justice and fair treatment for laborers who had long been ignored. Wilma Mankiller: The first woman Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, expanded health, education, and economic initiatives and became a symbol of Indigenous leadership. LGBTQ+ pioneers like Harvey Milk and the activists at Stonewall stood up to discrimination and transformed the national conversation on equality, laying the groundwork for modern civil rights protections. From abolitionists to suffragists to civil rights leaders and beyond, each wave of Americans strengthened the Constitution by expanding its protections and widening the circle of “We the People.”

Now, as we approach the 250th anniversary of our nation, we stand at another defining moment. The Constitution is not a relic — it is a living document, sustained by the courage, wisdom, and vigilance of each generation. It falls to us to protect and improve this inheritance, to ensure that freedom, equality, and opportunity are not just words on parchment, but promises kept for all. The work of forming “a more perfect Union” did not end with the Founders — it continues with us.