Principle 25 of 25
America Has a Mission to Be an Example of Liberty to the World
“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.
The Principle
"We have it in our power to begin the world over again." — Thomas Paine. America's mission is not to impose its values on others, but to demonstrate that a free, self-governing people can build a prosperous and just society — and inspire others by example.
Why It Matters
The Founders believed America was not just another nation. It was an experiment — the first large-scale attempt to prove that ordinary people could govern themselves without kings, aristocrats, or hereditary rulers. Paine called it the power to 'begin the world over again.'
This mission is not manifest destiny or imperial ambition. It is the obligation to demonstrate, through the quality of its own governance, that liberty works. When America lives up to its principles, it inspires the world. When it fails to, it provides ammunition to every tyrant who argues that self-governance is an illusion.
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, the question is not whether the experiment has succeeded permanently. It is whether this generation will do its part to prove it can still work.
The Question
What would it take for America to be the example of liberty that the Founders envisioned — and what is your role in making that happen?
Listen
Mount Vernon Sunset
Article V
Discussion Questions
For families, classrooms, and book clubs
- 1
What did Paine mean by 'begin the world over again'?
- 2
How does America serve as an example to other nations?
- 3
What responsibility do citizens have to maintain the American experiment?