The bipartisan Academy commission that issued the Our Common Purpose report recommended using the commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary to deepen understanding of our nation and its narratives. A New York Times article about a new tour at Monticello (which was developed with OCP Champion organizations) is an excellent example of how to both recognize the 250th and reflect on the past.
The new tour at Monticello, “Founding Friends, Founding Foes,” explores the intense partisan politics of the 1790s and the rise of the two-party system as we know it today. The tour, featured in New York Times, invites guests to reflect on parallels with today’s hyperpolarization during special dinner table civic conversations held on the grounds after some tours.
The Academy envisions the semiquincentennial milestone as an opportunity to strengthen the nation’s commitment to constitutional democracy, reflect on the full breadth of American history, and forge shared aspirations for the future. This recommendation, issued in the report in 2020, brought together a network of leading civil society organizations—including those representing the arts, museums, libraries, local history institutions, state and jurisdictional humanities councils, and academic centers. Together, this network has developed a set of guiding principles to create a commemoration that is inclusive, meaningful, and reflective of the nation’s diverse experiences.
The new Monticello tour is a noteworthy example of these principles in action. Jane Kamensky, the president of Monticello, an Academy member, and a participant in the Academy’s convenings around the 250th, described the new tour as a continuation of the historical site's commitment to difficult conversations. She noted that the tour reflects her conviction that Monticello can be a “civic engine” for reflecting on our current divides and modeling how to disagree better.
As quoted in the New York Times article: “On the tour, you hopefully feel a sense of inspiration around the possibility of this political friendship recovering itself, this civic friendship recovering itself,” Kamensky said. “And then maybe you’re inspired to call your uncle who you fell out with over Thanksgiving because you supported Trump and he supported Harris.”
Earlier this year, Monticello organized daylong sessions for the tour guides to meet with historians and political scientists to learn strategies for fostering civic connection. Among the organizations invited to train tour guides were OCP Champions BridgeUSA and Living Room Conversations.
When she met with tour guides, Becca Kearl, the executive director of Living Room Conversations, emphasized recent research from OCP champion More in Common showing that a large majority of people across the political spectrum want honest, fact-based history that honors shared American values without glossing over hard things.
“We feel divided, but a lot of that is coming from the top down,” Kearl said in the article. “I’m not saying things aren’t happening now that are really divisive. But research shows we really want to be united.”
According to the article, the guides were reminded that the point of the tour is not to win a debate or change anyone’s mind but to foster civic connection.