Imagine That
We the People of the United States of America

The concept of our country exists in our imaginations. We are a country formed by imagined truths turned into powerful words that united us in a Revolution against the most powerful nation on the planet in order to protect our Rights and to secure our freedoms. We shared these truths as self-evident, that all men were created equal, with certain unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those powerful, revolutionary words captured our imaginations then, and resonate with our imaginations now, as we continue to seek a more perfect union that expands and protects those rights based on our shared truths. We are a people united by the promises of powerful words – imagine that.

Historian and filmmaker Ken Burns has suggested that the story woven through our history is how we turned “us” into the “US”. Each of “us” imagines that we are an equal part of the united “US”, and our greatest successes as a nation of united people occurs when that imagination becomes reality.

Our Founders imagined a representative democracy where our leaders in local, state, and national elections came from the people – imagine that – to serve time-limited terms – imagine that – in service of the people, their communities, their states and nation – imagine that – and at the end of their elected terms they would peacefully transfer power to the newly elected representatives of the people – imagine that!

Our imagined steps towards that more perfect union advanced with the expansion of voting rights over the past two centuries. Voters in our first elections had to be citizens who were white men over 21 who were property owners, and they often had to belong to a certain religion. But we imagined more of us, and then States changed those requirements and citizens who were white men and 21and older could vote. But we imagined more of us, and then the 15th Amendment was added to the Constitution, and all male citizens 21 and older could vote. But we imagined more of us, 1and then the 19th Amendment allowed all citizens 21 and older to vote. But we imagined more of us, and added the 26th Amendment so that now all citizens 18 and older can vote.

Do we imagine more from us? As a nation seeking unity through inclusion we certainly cannot imagine less of us and expect to be “US”.

We need to remember and perhaps re-learn the lessons in our shared history, civics, public discourse and civility. We need to build bridges that offer a better understanding between the events of our times and our history that preceded them and that would lead to better communications between all the diverse imaginations that both help, and hinder the strengthening of all of “us” into the “US” as we strive for that “ more perfect Union.”

Our Founders showed us how to do that, and their genius in creating this imagined American experiment in self-government was their ability to not only identify the greater good, but to overcome personal self-interests to seek that greater good for our nation. We are fortunate to have 250 years since our Declaration of Independence to offer us examples and experiences as to what happened when we did this right, and what happened when we did this wrong.

The future of our nation is, as it has always been, in our hands and in our imaginations. Let us use our imaginations and our history’s examples to find the ways to put our hands, heads and hearts together to ensure that a nation of the people, by the people, and for the people does not perish from the Earth, but remains ever-more strongly united as “US”.

Imagine That.

Ford Gardit
The View from FordHaven 2
June 2026

Gary Ford is a member of the Little Falls Historical Society.