A Letter from the President of the American Academy

July 2025 
 

I write at a moment of extraordinary change for the institutions that govern American life. Whether considering the limits of the executive to reshape the federal bureaucracy, the role of the courts to check the other two branches, or the power of Congress to retain control of the nation’s purse strings, basic assumptions about the role, reach, and purpose of our primary political institutions have been upended. For the last few months, the changes in and to these bodies have, with good reason, been the focus of conversations about restoring, repairing, and reinventing American constitutional democracy. 

Yet attention to political institutions is not enough. Culture matters as much as structure. The Academy’s seminal 2020 report, Our Common Purpose: Reinventing American Democracy for the 21st Century, offers a transformative theory of change that casts political institutions as one part of a virtuous circle in our constitutional democracy: responsive political institutions cultivate a vibrant civic culture of participation and responsibility that, in turn, ensures our institutions remain responsive and inclusive.

The work of the Academy’s Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship revealed a poignant truth of our times: amid the currents of deep-seated polarization, Americans palpably yearn for authentic opportunities to assemble, deliberate, and engage in dialogue with one another. Recognizing this, the Commission underscored the imperative not just to broaden civic bridging opportunities, but also to kindle a resilient civic faith. For American democracy to thrive, Americans have to believe that their contributions and participation in our democracy can make a difference.

Civic culture demands different things from its citizens in different eras. For many Americans today, participation in the public square is increasingly difficult. Whether in person or online, the basic rules of conversation and debate often seem no longer to apply. For many, the possibility of going viral or being publicly shamed for voicing one’s views is too high a price for taking an unpopular stand. Citizens no longer feel that they can build and maintain social capital in common meeting places, and worry that such bonding relationships may actually be diminished. Americans’ experience of common life and the idea of the common good has become impoverished, and we need tools to build, and then practice being, in a robust and inclusive civic culture.

Historically, the importance of a healthy civic culture as the lifeblood of American constitutional democracy has been well acknowledged. Yet efforts to revitalize civic culture have not been as vigorous as those aimed at reforming political institutions. To address this imbalance, the Academy convened the Working Group on Defining Civic Culture. This dedicated group has produced a comprehensive and accessible publication that elucidates the “what, why, and how” of civic culture. It is a guide to the norms, values, habits, narratives, and rituals that embody a thriving civic life. Their months of thoughtful deliberation have culminated in a consensus that is not only a testament to their collective wisdom but is also a beacon that will guide our efforts to fortify our constitutional democracy. 

The Academy first released Habits of Heart and Mind in September 2024. The report clearly struck a chord, prompting a second print run to meet demand. Amid rising interest in the health of our democracy, this report has become even more timely and relevant. 

I assumed the presidency of the Academy in January 2025 and would like to echo the thanks issued by my predecessor in the letter he wrote for the first edition. Special thanks go to Eric Liu of Citizen University, who cochaired the Commission and chaired the working group, and whose leadership has been invaluable to both. Thank you to the other cochairs of the Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship—Danielle Allen of Harvard University and Stephen Heintz of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund—for their leadership and support as the Academy works to advance the recommendations in Our Common Purpose. Thank you to Kayla DeMonte of Citizen University and Caroline Jany of the Aspen Institute for their thought partnership and collaboration on engaging civic culture practitioners during the working group’s tenure. Thank you also to the Academy staff who served this working group and contributed to this publication, including Phyllis Bendell, Key Bird, Jonathan Cohen, Alison Franklin, Zachey Kliger, Abhishek Raman, Scott Raymond, Peter Robinson, Betsy Super, and Peter Walton.  And thanks to my predecessor himself, Academy President Emeritus David Oxtoby, for his stewardship of the Our Common Purpose project and his commitment to the Academy’s efforts to restore American democracy. 

Finally, the Academy’s ongoing work to advance the Our Common Purpose recommendations would not be possible without the generous support of the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, the Suzanne Nora Johnson and David G. Johnson Foundation, the Clary Family Charitable Fund, Alan and Lauren Dachs, Sara Lee Schupf and the Lubin Family Foundation, Joan and Irwin Jacobs, David M. Rubenstein, and Patti Saris. 

Laurie L. Patton 
Cambridge, MA