250 Years of the American Experiment

Toward a More Perfect Union

A Message From Executive Director Melody Barnes

As America marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Karsh Institute Executive Director Melody Barnes reflects on the enduring work of democracy and the ideals that continue to shape the nation.

“The ideas articulated in the Declaration of Independence and the rights embedded in the Constitution give us the tools we need to do the work democracy demands,” she writes. “Like those who came before us, we will struggle, debate, protest, vigorously disagree, and make difficult choices. But in keeping with the advice a Haudenosaunee chief offered Benjamin Franklin in 1744, guidance that shaped Franklin’s thinking as he helped craft the new country: ‘Whatever befalls you, do not fall out with one another.’” Read the full message>> 

The American Revolution Was Never Just About America

“The founding of the United States emerged from a web of international connections and personal relationships that crossed borders,” said Iris de Rode, a Gibson Fellow in Democracy at the Karsh Institute.

Ahead of the United States’ commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, we caught up with de Rode to learn how her work—including a featured role in Ken Burns’ documentary The American Revolution—has helped tell the story of America’s founding as a shared transatlantic endeavor. Read more>>

UPCOMING EVENTS

Highlights of the Karsh Institute’s free public programming. More events will be announced soon.

TOUCHSTONES OF DEMOCRACY

After the Declaration

September 3, 2026 | UVA’s Bond House | 12:00 PM

The American Revolution on Trial’s author, T. H. Breen (Northwestern University), will explore with Paul Halliday (UVA History) how an American legal case against a British general provided the setting for the new nation to assert its political and cultural independence.

Making Democracy Flourish in the Classroom

Last August, a group of K–12 civics teachers and educators from the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County gathered in a circle on the floor. They were reflecting on what they had learned during the first day of the Karsh Institute’s Educating for Democracy Fellowship, a year-long program designed to help educators cultivate classrooms where students learn about democracy and see themselves as participants in an ongoing democratic experiment.

“It was a small but meaningful moment,” recalled John Hobson, co-lead of the program. “The way you organize a classroom shapes how students experience it.” Read more>>

What does Karsh Institute Executive Director Melody Barnes think is a defining moment in American democracy? She answers that question as part of the Karsh Institute’s “Defining Moments in American Democracy” online series, which is tied to this week’s 250th anniversary.

Bringing America’s History Together from Coast to Coast

Most Americans can name some of the key rights granted by the U.S. Constitution, but far fewer know the details about their own state’s constitution—documents that shape everything from voting rules and education policy to the structure of state government. Together, the 50 state constitutions tell a rich and often overlooked story about American democracy.

A new interactive website, 50constitutions.org, is changing that. Developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, in a research partnership with UVA’s Karsh Institute of Democracy and Karsh Center for Law and Democracy, the site is making state constitutions and their complete histories digitally accessible and searchable for the first time in one user-friendly public resource. Read more>>

A feature in UVA’s Envision magazine looks back at the Karsh Institute’s major “America @ 250” programs, from the launch of UVA’s 250th initiatives at Democracy360 to conversations with scholars, policymakers, students, and community members exploring the nation’s founding ideals and democratic future.

Karsh Institute Executive Director Melody Barnes joined award-winning documentarian Ken Burns and others for A More Perfect Union: Inspiring Civic & Civil Conversations Across America, a PBS special that explored America’s founding and how the ideas and values articulated 250 years ago remain relevant to our democracy today.