Reclaiming
the American Ideology

We believe the American Ideology cannot be reclaimed in isolation. It requires a broad, cross-sector coalition of institutions, scholars, civic organizations, educators, journalists, and public leaders committed to renewing the nation’s civic center. Through strategic partnerships, we aim to build a living network of collaborators who recognize that ideological coherence—not partisan loyalty—is the key to restoring public trust, democratic functionality, and cultural confidence. This initiative welcomes pilot programs, co-branded research, and civic literacy efforts that bring the core values of the American tradition back to life in schools, media, congregations, and communities.

To bridge the great divide in American life, we must speak in a language both sides can hear. The Translation Project takes the four cardinal values of the American Ideology—communitarian individualism, moral and social equality, republicanism, and federalism—and renders them in the moral and political languages of both red and blue America. This is not spin; it is translation in the truest sense—making our shared inheritance intelligible again across lines of difference. Through essays, tools, media collaborations, and community-based workshops, this project shows how Americans who seem ideologically opposed often live by the same values, if only they could recognize them.

Each year, we will produce a comprehensive Annual Report on the Health of the American Ideology—a civic diagnostic that measures the state of our shared commitments. Drawing on original survey research, behavioral data, and cultural analysis, the report will track how the four ideological values are reflected (or missing) in American political discourse, institutional trust, civic engagement, and social cohesion. It will also feature public-facing insights, visualizations, and recommendations—offering both a mirror and a map for those seeking to restore ideological balance and national purpose.