How do We the People are better able to protect and advance freedom and opportunity for all?

The United States Founders believed that certain civic virtues were required of citizens in order for the Constitution to work. Numerous primary sources—notably the Federalist Papers and the Autobiography of Ben Franklin—point us to the “Founders’ Virtues.” You will explore some of the following civic virtues as an integral part of Documents of Freedom.

The Founders thought that preserving freedom through self-governing institutions required that citizens have certain virtues. However, they did not believe that government would be primarily responsible for inculcating those virtues. Government depends on these virtues.

Dr. David Bobb, President of the Bill of Rights Institute, discusses James Madison and how he exemplifies the essential American virtues of prudence and courage.

BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams sits down with Jon Schaff, author and Northern State University professor of government, to discuss Lincoln's respect for civic virtues and why they are so important in a democracy. Schaff reviews the relationship between civic virtues and efficient political processes, emphasizing the importance of civil discourse. What are the dangers of passions in creating lawlessness and tyranny? And why are restraint, moderation, and prudence essential traits for a good ruler to possess? Schaff is the author of "Abraham Lincoln's Statesmanship and the Limits of Liberal Democracy" and "Age of Anxiety: Meaning, Identity, and Politics in 21st-Century Film and Literature." About Jon Schaff: Professor Schaff is a professor of government at Northern State University and specializes in the study of American political thought and institutions. He has published on the presidency and political thought of Abraham Lincoln, politics and literature, and politics and popular culture. He has been a department chair and faculty athletic representative and has received the Outstanding Faculty Award from NSU.