FFD Founding Principles
Forum for Democracy USA (FFD) is a non-partisan civic education platform dedicated to helping young people understand and appreciate the foundations of American democracy. Our work is grounded in the belief that civic knowledge and civil discourse are essential to sustaining our representative system of government.
Many students today have limited opportunities to deeply study the U.S. Constitution and the rights it guarantees. Core principles such as free speech, freedom of the press, the right to peaceably assemble, due process, and protections under the Bill of Rights and subsequent amendments are too often unfamiliar.
FFD creates learning experiences that give students the chance to explore these principles in action. Through interactive lessons, roleplay and dialogue, students gain the knowledge and skills needed to engage respectfully and thoughtfully in civic life.
Our goal is simple: to prepare the next generation of Americans to preserve, protect, and strengthen our democracy by understanding its principles and practicing civil participation.
Cornerstones of FFD
Civic Literacy
We believe in the fundamental importance of civic literacy to preserve our representative democracy. Without informed and engaged citizens, we risk losing the liberties and freedoms that many generations have fought so hard to preserve.
Intuitive Ethics
“We the People” are intuitively ethical beings and have the inherent tendency as a human race to want to do good works and deeds. It’s that simple! This is the sustaining nature that, over time, supports the ascent of humanity, and without which democracy and the search for equal justice under law would be impossible.
Wisdom of Crowds
We believe that the People have the collective intelligence and wisdom necessary to work with our elected officials to solve problems for the benefit of humankind. The idea of collective intelligence was popularized by James Surowiecki, author of the best-selling book, The Wisdom of Crowds. Surowiecki provides real-world examples of how “under the right circumstances, crowds are remarkably intelligent, and are often smarter than the smartest people in them.”
The U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the 17 Additional Amendments
The Founding Fathers gave us a wonderful gift in the form of brilliantly written documents called the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, followed by the 17 additional Amendments. These secular documents, if properly understood, can serve as a moral compass by which we can navigate the most difficult ethical issues of the day. They are sustainable over time only if we have the wisdom and vigilance needed to preserve them for ourselves and for generations to come.