Welcome to 2026, all. 

We’re marking the 250th anniversary of the founding this year, an anniversary that poses unique challenges and opportunities for those of us who take the challenge of American democracy seriously.

And as we all settle in for a year of contending with our country’s past (and present, and future), I want to offer some thoughts on how we might talk about our country and our democracy in 2026. We don’t have research into how to communicate about the founding itself, but we know quite a bit about framing our country’s systems, our Constitution, and our democracy.

I want to underline one point in particular: There are ways we can and should talk about how our country isn’t living up to many of the democratic ideals expressed during the founding. Our research supports this.

In fact, the 250th can present an opportunity for us to talk openly about our need for change. Here’s what we know:

1. People across the political spectrum want to change, not protect, a political system they see as working for the powerful few and not themselves. 

Our research consistently finds that people across the political spectrum think our political system needs either major changes or to be completely reformed. 

Whenever we talk about our democracy, we must acknowledge people’s frustrations with our current political system or risk seeming out of touch and unresponsive. And we need to clearly and consistently offer a vision and path toward democratic change, or we risk making it seem like only a strongman can change the systems people are so frustrated with.

What you can do:

The 250th presents an opportunity for us to do that while appealing to the ideal of “government by and for the people”—an ideal the founders professed 250 years ago that hasn’t ever been realized. Here’s one example of what that could look like, following the 4-part formula we lay out fully in our framing guide, Tapping into Americans’ Desire for Change:

Step 1: Open with an appeal to what we want from our political system:
250 years ago, our country was founded on the promise of a government by and for the people.

Step 2: Validate people’s sense that the system isn’t working the way it should:
But our system doesn’t let us have a real say about what should or shouldn’t happen.

Step 3: Show people underlying issues undermining our democracy:
The two-party system prevents us from having real representation in our government.

Step 4: Offer solutions that would directly address the issue(s) identified:
250 years later, it’s time for us to live up to our country’s founding promise of a government by and for the people. We can start by breaking up the two-party system and replacing it with one that gives us more choices.

2. Many of the values appealed to at our country’s founding remain powerful motivators for change, not just the status quo.

I don’t think we can talk about 1776 and not grapple with the concept of “freedom.” Freedom has been associated with the founding of the United States since before we were an independent country—and for the last 250 years, as a country we’ve been contesting exactly what we mean when we say it and what it would look like if our country were actually “free.”

What you can do:

The idea of freedom is one of our most cherished principles, and if appealed to carefully by emphasizing how systems and structures protect or threaten our freedom, it can make a powerful case for change. Here’s an example of what that could look like:

Our country was founded on the promise that we would be free from domination by kings and tyrants. A single person shouldn’t be able to tell us what to do or to shut down the voices of people speaking up for what they believe. 250 years after the founding of the United States, we need to reclaim the power to decide what happens to us and reject attempts to silence our voices. We need to press for laws that would protect protestors from violent retaliation. From the Boston Tea Party in 1773 to the March on Washington in 1963, protest has always been how we the people express our will. That’s not something to suppress—it’s something to celebrate.

3. Naming our country’s problematic history and failure to live up to its stated ideals can be a highly effective framing strategy.

I want to make absolutely sure that none of the above is interpreted as me saying that we should talk about our country’s history (or founding, or founders, or…) as unproblematic. In fact, problematizing the history of our country and talking about how we’ve never lived up to our stated ideals is one of the most effective ways of building understanding of our country’s structural issues and driving support for change. 

This is especially true when it comes to helping people (white people especially) think about structural racism. And contrary to what we might expect, our research shows that using a system is rigged frame to talk about how racism has been baked into our country since the founding is particularly helpful for increasing understanding of structural racism with white Republicans. 

What you can do:

Here’s an example of what that could look like:

Our country was founded on the principle of freedom from domination. We believe no one has a natural right to rule over others. And at the same time, our society was rigged by design to let wealthy white people rule and to limit the power of people of color. Our Constitution was written by and for slaveholders, and our economic system still depends on paying Black people and immigrants of color low wages for essential work like childcare and home care. It’s been 250 years since our country was founded on a promise of freedom and fairness—a promise that 250 years ago wasn’t extended to everyone in our country. Now it’s time for us to come together and demand a system that lives up to a promise of freedom and fairness to all.