The Museum of American Rhetoric
America was created by an idea, a thought, and a conversation that evolved into a nation. We were founded on a belief in free speech, as what we say is limitless in its power for change. Our internal debates have shaped the course of our history, whether the topic be social, economic, or political in nature.
Even as the conversations evolve, the topics have always stayed the same. That which was protested a hundred years ago is still being protested today. Race, gender, immigration, and warfare still provoke discussion as they did when this country was made. These themes are woven through our history, changing but never fading. They are inseparable from America and what it stands for- and so our conversations have changed our history, but they have not changed who we are as a people. The question becomes whether America is defined by progress or stagnation. Are we defined more by change in conversation, or steadiness in the topic? Are we defined more by the changes in history, or in the preservation of who we are?
We are driven by our thoughts and how we communicate them, whether they serve to unify or divide us as a people. We are defined by what we say.
click the categories above and below to explore the museum