National Underground Railroad Freedom Center reflection on the 2024 Election

We, the people.Three words that changed the course of history.We, the people.The opening of the Constitution and the “Once upon a time” of the American dream.The Constitution, our nation’s founding document of promise that both protects and challenges us. It was designed and enacted to form a more perfect union, unifying the group of states operating with different interests, laws and cultures and uniting its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the union’s power in we, the people.Those words rang out on Tuesday as millions of Americans exercised their power. We voted early, by mail-in ballot and in person on election day, with lines stretching around blocks and voters waiting for hours. The process of democracy, scaffolded by our Constitution, worked as it was designed to, just as it has for over two centuries. We, the people, have spoken.Over the past few weeks, millions of Americans exercised that power of the vote. The process of democracy worked as it was designed to, and We, the people, have spoken.We saw a more diverse electorate than ever, with young people and people of color turning out in substantial numbers. We saw candidates who reflect the fullness of our nation’s experience. And...