The Burden We Bear: The Responsibility of Citizenship Foundations of the Republic

This session traces the American experiment back to its deepest roots: the social contract. Beginning with John Locke’s belief that governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed, we explore how the Founders, especially James Madison, argued that liberty cannot endure without individual virtue. From Alexis de Tocqueville’s keen observations of early democracy to Theodore Roosevelt’s rallying cry for the citizen in the arena, and Calvin Coolidge’s solemn reverence for civic duty, we uncover a powerful truth: citizenship is not merely a right we possess, but a responsibility we agree to uphold, generation after generation.