Barack Obama: “We are the country that has faced down war and depression; great challenges and great threats.”

We designed the center not to be some lifeless mausoleum.

In forming our union, the founders fell terribly short of the Declaration's promise, leaving slavery intact, allowing states to restrict the franchise to white men who owned property.

There will be no kings

They're meant to remind us of who we can be, to remind us of what's possible, so we can forge ahead.