In January of 2009, President Barack Obama was inaugurated as our nations 44th President, a historic event indeed! But how did we get from the nation of George Washington wrestling with the powers of the Executive Branch to that monumental January day in 2009? America has indeed experienced some turbulent times. Born in revolution, Americans have debated, fought, explored, invented, and questioned our way to constantly finding a better form of government. This grand experiment of how mankind can govern themselves in a judicious and humane way, where all persons have an avenue for their opinions to be fairly expressed are rooted in the American experience. Taking lessons from the Greeks, the Romans, and the English Commonwealth (1649-1660), Americans established a Republic to honor such tenants, vowing not to replicate the errors of past representative governments. What has emerged is an imperfect conglomeration of interests peacefully competing to create a system where humans can live in relative harmony. For all its imperfections, this system has been emulated the world over with the hope the successes can be copied.

A firm grasp of our collective history is foundational to truly appreciating what America is, and who we are as a nation. That is what we set out to assist here at The Critical Junctures Project. The site is a travel guide on the path of American history with anecdotes and vignettes to add flavor to the journey. We are not a political organization, we do not endorse one party over another, but what we do is challenge all of our fellow citizens to think about what it means to be an American and understand the foundations of the the relationship between a governing class and a represented citizenry.  Think about who are we as a people? What are the roots of our nation and why does it matter?

Join Us—In a study of the American Experience and determine for yourself what America means to you while appreciating moments in history that paved the way for where we are today. Our focus will be on stories of exceptional moments in American history that shaped and impacted the nation for generations to come. More often than not, such actions were carried out by very normal people.