Constitution Square helps citizens remember nation's founding, encourages action

Daniel has lived in Germany for the past two decades, but he still cherishes the roots and ideals of America, so much so that he scheduled a trip back for his native country’s 250th anniversary.

Daniel, along with his wife and children, were among about a hundred visitors to Constitution Square on the lawn of the History Museum at The Castle on Independence Day morning. While strollers and shoppers took in the Appleton Farm Market, which begins right in front of Constitution Square on College Avenue, Daniel and his family stopped by the several tables set up on the lawn, where they could pick up a pocket constitution, take a photo with a woman dressed as The Statue of Liberty, sign a giant scroll cascading off of a 15-foot tall Preamble to the Constitution, walk along the ‘Garden of Rights and Freedoms’ – a path strewn with signs highlighting some of our most essential freedoms – or talk to people at the Voter Services table.

“It's great to be celebrating it, to be recognizing it,” Daniel said of the patriotic tableaux that will greet Saturday morning visitors through August. “I think it's important that we see this as something that belongs to everybody in this country, and that this is a celebration of democracy. It's not political, like I think that I've seen the attempts to spin it. I really appreciate the pushback against that, and that people are saying, okay, this is for everyone, this is for this country, for the nation, and not for any political party.

“I've always been really suspicious of any political party's attempt to claim patriotism or allegiance to the country for themselves.”

The League of Women Voters: ‘Defending Democracy’

Constitution Square was an idea hatched by the Arts and Visibility Committee of the League of Women Voters – Fox Cities’ ‘Unite and Rise’ project. Unite and Rise is a nationwide initiative launched by the National LWV more than a year ago in response to their concerns about threats to our democracy and constitution. Though a non-partisan organization, the League, at the time it announced Unite and Rise, insisted the initiative holds true to its mission.

“The league is dedicated to defending democracy, and we view this as part of our mission.  We think it is nonpartisan to stand on the side of democracy,” said Linda Bjella, then the President of the League of Women Voters – Fox Cities, when Unite and Rise was announced in the area in 2025. 

The aim of Constitution Square is civic education and promoting action and provides an opportunity to remind voters of all political persuasions of the underpinnings of our democracy. The Voter Services table will also help people register to vote. On Saturday, nearly four dozen visitors dropped by Voter Services to either register to obtain registration info.

Though people who stopped in on Saturday voiced their own concerns about the state of our democracy, only one couple mentioned affiliation with a political party.

“We're hardcore patriots,” said Juliana who was with her husband, Brian. “He was in the military. We love Republicans, along with a strong defense, independent rights for states, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and everything that's in the Constitution. And everybody should know what's in the Constitution.”

‘It should be an American thing’

Mitch was on hand with his wife, Trista and their toddler son, Archer. He said he hadn’t known about Constitution Square but was drawn to it by the giant Preamble and wanted to see what it was all about. Mitch said he and his wife are civic-minded people and have voted in every election since their first one in 2018. But he admitted he was worried about what was happening, from corruption to gerrymandering.

“I think part of the issue is that our system is based on good faith and the idea that people are going to follow the system, but we're very much seeing that there's not much of an enforcement mechanism if they decide not to,” he said. “And I think people are realizing that the solution isn't to go away from something like democracy or the Constitution, but to strengthen it.

“It shouldn’t be our side versus their side; it should be an American thing, and working towards what's better for everybody, and there's a lot of things that's better for everybody that currently aren't being focused on.”

Mitch said what he saw at Constitution Square restored some hope in him.

“The Constitution is important,” he said. “Our rights are important to know and to talk about, and so stuff like this is actively trying to increase people voting and increase people's knowledge of that stuff. So I think that is always so encouraging, because it's a community thing, trying to make sure that people realize how government should be.”

'These are the things that we hold sacred’

Helene was there with her husband, Jerry, an avid American history buff. She admitted that she can’t bring herself to wear certain gear right now because she thinks that patriotic symbolism is currently associated with people who she deems the opposite of patriotic.

“As I was walking along, I heard a mother's voice saying to her four- or five-year olds, ‘Should we stop by here and see the thing that our President doesn't feel like he needs to follow?’” Helene said with a wry laugh. “It was said out loud, and it made me think, oh my, yes, how many of us feel like that?”

She said things such as Constitution Square are important in that they remind everyone that democracy shouldn’t be a political matter but something we all should embrace.

Jerry warned that history was repeating itself, pointing to the signs in the Garden of Rights and Freedoms, many of which, he said, are under assault today.

“Yeah, a lot of this is under our Bill of Rights,” he said. “These are the things that we hold sacred that are gradually being taken away from us, and it's important to look at the history of our country to determine that the things that were going on back in the 1750s, 60s, and 70s are the same things that are happening to us today by an authoritarian.”

Jerry said he was worried about the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment when it comes to immigrants’ rights, or birthright citizenship, which states in the Constitution that if a person is born in the United States they are a full citizen. President Trump is trying to undo birthright citizenship, though the Supreme Court upheld it last month.

Finding commonality

For Tracey, suddenly seeing Constitution Square from the Farm Market on College Avenue was heartening. She said it is a reminder of what we fought for in World War II and that we shouldn’t take it for granted or grow complacent. She didn’t pull punches when it came to her thoughts about where we stand as a country and the threats we face.

“I think what I discovered is that (Constitution Square) is reaffirming to me that this is why we're here,” she said. “Growing up as a child of the 70s, we were whoo-hoo when it came to the bicentennial. But this is just not the same.  I think I think as a nation, we're completely divided. I think our leadership stinks, and that's the nicest word I could think of. I think that we have been somehow lulled into complacency because of that, and only when something directly affects us in general terms, that if it seems like it bites me, then I’ll care. But if somebody next to me is getting hurt now, I'll just walk away.”

Nonetheless, Tracey said she holds out hope that things are turning around for the better, and that we need to take the long view as citizens. She thinks, she said, that something like Constitution Square can contribute to that.

“I think if people could see this and understand it, I think there are so many people who came to this country looking for hope,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for. I think if you stand away from the political views and stand back far enough, what do people want? They want freedom, they want liberty, they want to be able to live their life. You know, there’s nothing different between Democrat, Independent, Republican when it come to that. That's what they all want, that's what people want. So, how can you find that commonality and then keep going with the discussion? 

“You don't have to prove that you're right. You just have to listen.”

Constitution Square helps citizens remember nation's founding, encourages action © 2026 by Kelly Fenton is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0