Community Forum, What Kind of Government Should We Have?

When: Wednesday, March 2, 2016 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Where: Room 258, Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries

What: Community Forum, A New Land: What Kind of Government Should We Have?

It is the spring of 1787. We are now in a critical period. Our new republic is unstable and the liberty we won just four years ago is threatened. We’ve lost the unity inspired by our fight against Britain. Trade is difficult and our physical safety is uncertain. There are conflicts within and threats from without. What should we do? How will we survive? How can our hard-won liberty be sustained? The questions boil down to this: What kind of government should we have?

Please join the Russell Forum for Civic Life and Reacting to the Past at the University of Georgia on Wednesday, March 2 from 3:30-5:00 p.m. for a community forum considering key questions of this historical period. The discussion will take place in the large event space (room 285) of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. With the help of trained neutral moderators, participants will weigh and discuss three options for deliberation.

This issue guide is a part of the National Issues Forums' Historic Decisions series. Most guides published by the National Issues Forums Institute seek to stimulate deliberation by diverse groups of citizens about current public problems. This one focuses on a time in the past: 1787, just before the Constitution was written, negotiated, and adopted at the Constitutional Convention. All of the actions proposed in this issue book are based on ideas or proposals that were being considered in 1787. But these ideas were generated in a society in which many Americans were excluded from public discussions and democratic governance. Deliberative forums based on this issue guide will be more effective if they include diverse perspectives, including ones that were not heard in 1787.

The event is free and all ideas are welcome.  Registration for the event is not required, but participants may request a copy of the forum discussion guide in advance by emailing russlib@uga.edu. For more information call (706) 542-5788.