10/14/2026
Self-government is inherently fragile because it rests in human hands. We have competing interests, deeply held disagreements, and the capacity for both extraordinary cooperation and profound division.
The American founders understood that constitutional institutions must account for the imperfections of human nature. But institutions alone cannot sustain a free society. Constitutional self-government also depends on citizens and leaders with the knowledge, character, and courage to exercise power responsibly, respect the rights of others, and work toward the common good.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Abraham Lincoln affirmed these responsibilities at consequential moments in American history. And generations of Americans have demonstrated that moments of extraordinary fragility can also call forth extraordinary acts of civic character and courage.
For the , Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer, explores why sustaining self-government is both an institutional and a personal responsibility, and why the civic virtues necessary to preserve it must be cultivated across generations: https://www.civicdecade.org/p/the-fragility-of-self-government
