How it works Mockup - The Madison Lincoln Initiative

How it

works

in our current political climate.

How it works

Building Civic Capacity: How MLI Works

Mission: The mission of the Madison Lincoln Initiative is to support the sustainability of America’s democracy by fostering robust democratic engagement in schools and colleges across the United States.

Vision: The Madison Lincoln Initiative seeks to fulfill its mission in the following ways:

By building a membership of at least one million educators and educational supporters who endorse our mission by the year 2030;
By influencing the adoption of rigorous democratic engagement curriculum standards for grades 4 through 12 in all public schools in America by 2030;
By influencing the adoption of rigorous democratic engagement requirements for students at all public colleges in America by 2030;
By hosting an annual Democracy Summit in which educators share best practices with each other, beginning in 2026;
By publishing a monthly e-newsletter highlighting best practices in teaching democratic engagement, starting in January 2026.

Building Civic Capacity: How MLI Works

Values:

We are devoted to upholding a representative democracy, and not a dictatorship (or an elitist, authoritarian oligarchic kleptocracy, Mafiocracy ), as our nation’s form of government;
We insist that all citizens, and especially all elected officials, are bound to defend and protect the US Constitution;
We insist on maintaining high standards of decency and integrity for all elected officials;
We are committed to the rule of law and insist that no person is above the law;
We believe that all citizens have a duty to become informed and engaged participants in our democratic republic;
We believe in the relentless search for truth, and we abhor lies and distortions;
We believe in the need for civil discourse in politics and in general society;
We believe in the value of diverse political viewpoints and that a pluralistic democracy must protect tolerance for a wide variety of differing viewpoints;
We abhor violence as a way to resolve differences or to impose one set of viewpoints upon others; and
We are committed to fostering democratic engagement through education on a non-partisan and non-profit basis.

We offer our partners

We offer suggestions for curriculum, content, and activities that align with our five mission pillars:

Integrity in public office
The discipline and necessity of civil discourse
Constitutional literacy
Critical Reasoning / Democratic Engagement
Media literacy and lucidity

Civics Education
Interactive courses and workshops are designed to deepen civic knowledge and engagement.
Community Projects
Hands-on initiatives that empower students to make a tangible impact in their communities.
Youth Leadership
Leadership programs that cultivate civic responsibility, public speaking, and teamwork.

They fall into three categories:

These pillars are designed to complement and strengthen the California High School Civics Standards, ensuring that students gain both the knowledge and the skills necessary to engage meaningfully in democratic life.