2011-2012 BOOK SELECTION
Our program goal for this season is to explore America's founding principles, learning more about the challenges and resulting compromises made by our founders as they worked to weave differences of opinion about race, gender, class, and justice into the fabric of a free society. We will explore the Declaration of Independence; the U. S. Constitution; and the writings of well-known public figures, as well as not-so-well-known private individuals; shedding light on the competing opinions and values that weighed heavily on those who sought to establish a nation based upon the principles of justice and freedom.
As we approach an election year that promises to challenge our ability to engage in civil dialogue, our readings and community discussions may provide us with some models for how people of diverse opinions have come together in pursuit of a common goal; that is, the best interest of our nation. We have faith in the integrity and good will of the people in our County, trusting in their ability to recognize that these writings have the power to stimulate us to make meaningful connections where we have noticed none before – between our ancestors and ourselves, between one culture and another, between the community and the individual.
This year, Weber Reads: The Founding Fathers was also chosen by the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge to receive its prestigious George Washington Honor Medal.
