by Will Brummett, Director of Student Engagement at Campus Compact
On July 4th, 2026, America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, which came in the form of a letter written and signed by a small group of passionate men who understood their past but yearned for a different future for their country. Over the past several weeks and in the coming days, many people around the world will find different ways to reflect, remember, and mark this anniversary: some celebratory, some somber, some quiet, some loud. All part of America’s tapestry.
At Campus Compact, we are choosing to mark this anniversary by sharing a new generation of letters from another group of passionate people: our incredible student civic leaders. While many of our students’ journeys would be unfathomable to our founders over 250 years ago, these students’ passionate critiques of inequality, their declarative love for their communities, and their collective hope for the future would strike a chord the founders would recognize.
We are publishing these letters unedited and in full to showcase the students’ authentic voices and unique perspectives—full of the same hopes, frustrations, and ambitions for our nation’s future that fuel their passion for civic leadership. While their views are entirely their own, we believe their voices, and those of all our student leaders, are a vital part of the conversation around America’s future.
Although these letters represent just a few perspectives from students, we encourage you to check out the full “Letters to America” initiative sponsored by our partners at Made By Us and Youth250 to hear more. We also encourage students and young people to submit their own letters. Now more than ever, it’s important that we lift up the voice of every student—each perspective matters.
Perhaps nothing is a greater celebration of our country’s founding than the power of courageous voices with different perspectives and dreams coming together to declare their visions for the country they call home. The act forever changed our country for the better 250 years ago, and today we hope these voices and visions contribute to doing the same.
Letters to America
Get involved: recognizing America’s 250th anniversary
-
Students and youth, submit your own Letter to America to share your vision for what this country should become.
-
Watch the recording of our recent webinar, “Reflection, Reckoning, and Recommitment: Student Voices at the 250th,” for more student perspectives on America’s 250th.
-
Explore the Civic Language Perceptions Project from PACE to learn how civic language unites, divides, and motivates American voters
-
Check out available student leadership training opportunities from Ask Every Student.
-
Register for the launch of the Higher Education Democracy Exchange on July 29 to learn about a new virtual platform that will serve as the central infrastructure for democracy work in higher education: a living resource hub, a practitioner directory, and a community space.
-
Check out voter education tools, like Guides.Vote and VoteMate as a way to celebrate our democracy by bolstering voter engagement efforts.
-
Watch the documentary, Living Civics, from Road Trip Nation to explore how people across America are working to strengthen civic education and participation.
Join Campus Compact
To leverage the full benefits of Campus Compact at your institution, join our coalition. Campus Compact membership offers valuable information, powerful networks, and opportunities to work collectively with peers across the country.