Democracy Dialogues: “Life and Liberty”

The McLean County Museum of History, in partnership with The Dirksen Congressional Center, Not in our Town B-N, Prairie Pride Coalition, Illinois State University Center for Civic Engagement, YWCA, YMCA, Heartland Community College, NAACP, and League of Women Voters, will be engaging in a series of “Democracy Dialogues” to explore and debate four founding principles from the Declaration of Independence.

Each discussion will begin with a short presentation on the historical context of each phrase and why it was included in the Declaration. Program participants will then break into facilitated small group discussions to reflect on what these founding principles mean to them, how they have changed in our society since 1776, how they have been upheld, and what impact they still have on our nation today. At the end of each discussion, participants will be given information on how to get more involved in our community and become more civically engaged.

All ages are encouraged to participate in any or all of the planned discussions, which will be held on the following dates at one of our partner organizations:
Saturday, February 28, at 1:00 p.m. at the Museum- “Life and Liberty” featuring Dr. Matthijs Tieleman, Assistant Professor of History at Illinois State University

Saturday, April 11, at 1:00 p.m. at the YMCA- “Pursuit of Happiness” featuring Erik Rankin, Instructional Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University and President and CEO of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation

Tuesday, September 22, at 6:30 p.m. at Heartland Community College- “All Men Are Created Equal” featuring Dr. Meghan Leonard, Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University.

Thursday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the YWCA- “Consent of the Governed” featuring Dr. Robert Bradley, Professor Emeritus of the Department of Politics and Government at Illinois State University.

Registration is encouraged but not required to participate. To register, visit https://bit.ly/Democracy1776.