When the framers of the Constitution adjourned the convention and left the Pennsylvania Statehouse on September 17, 1787, they had no assurance their work would succeed. The framers had done their work. Now their work was in the hands of the American people.

George Washington declared the preservation of the sacred fire of liberty (which was the object of the American Revolution) and the destiny of the republican model of government are staked on the experiment in the hands of the American people.

The American experiment has been tested throughout American history, in times of poverty and prosperity, war and peace, division and unity. It is tried and tested anew in each generation. Circumstances of the present time now offer new challenges that test whether the experiment will remain successful.

We must be good stewards of the liberty our founding generation secured for us. To each generation falls the task to choose to form a more perfect union and to secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.  Through example and education, the American Village encourages citizens and leaders in the stewardship of our American liberty.