We Have Liftoff!: 7 Stages of the Peaceful 2nd U.S. Revolution
Hit Refresh on the Constitution
We have lift-off!
Just one month ago, on President’s Day, we launched Hit Refresh on the Constitution!—and already, thousands have joined our inter-partisan citizens' movement. And we’re just getting started.
For too long, we’ve been told change is impossible—that the system is too broken, too corrupt, too divided. But history tells a different story. Around the world, everyday people are stepping up, reshaping their governments, and reclaiming their democracies. Now, it’s our turn!
Democracy in the United States stands at a crossroads. Divided by partisan rancor, plagued by systemic inequality, and struggling with outdated institutions, our republic faces challenges that mere policy tweaks nor the next election can solve (Levitsky & Ziblatt, 2018).
Just as our founders sparked the 1st U.S. Revolution nearly 250 years ago, We The People can ignite a peaceful 2nd Revolution in the United States to renew our democracy and secure liberty and justice for all.
This isn't a call to arms, but a call to hearts and minds. The path forward requires not violence but vision, not hatred but hope. Now that #unifyUSA is lifting off, I’m proposing seven stages that can transform our current democratic dysfunction into a new, refreshed government that is truly of, by, and for the people.
Stage 1: Awakening the Revolutionary Spirit
Every revolution begins with an awakening—a shift in consciousness when people recognize that the old way no longer works. Americans across the political spectrum are opening their eyes to our system's profound dysfunction: money drowning out citizen voices, extremists tearing us apart, and an aging Constitution struggling to meet 21st-century challenges.
The founders believed in our right to reinvent governance. If Thomas Jefferson insisted that each generation should create its own social contract (Jefferson, 1789), why should we settle for dysfunction and tyranny today? This awakening is fueled by revolutionary optimism—choosing hope over despair, even in dark times.
Stage 2: Unifying for People-Powered Change
Awakening must lead to action. Stage 2 is about building people-powered momentum strong enough to transform the nation. It's everyday Americans organizing in their communities, forming civic hubs, holding town halls, and coalescing and converging grassroots movements.
The American Revolution succeeded not because of one pamphleteer or one battle, rather because countless patriots united in common cause. Today, we must recreate that spirit of e pluribus unum, out of many-we are one. By working side by side on common goals—fighting corruption, defending voting rights, demanding accountability—we rebuild trust across our deepest divides.
Stage 3: Deliberating a New Vision Through Citizens' Assemblies
With a nationwide movement rising, Stage 3 turns people power into people-centered solutions through inter-partisan Citizens' Assemblies at State- and regional levels—all building toward a National Citizens' Assembly.
This stage begins in communities across America. During 2025, State Citizens' Assemblies in towns and counties deliberate on democratic reforms, feeding ideas upward to regional and national assemblies. These gatherings represent microcosms of America—teachers, truck drivers, nurses, veterans, entrepreneurs—sitting together to reimagine governance.
Research shows that when given respect and responsibility, everyday people consistently rise to the occasion, listening deeply to each other and finding common ground across differences (Fishkin, 2018; Landemore, 2020).
Regional assemblies can be convened in early 2026 to synthesize and prioritize the recommendations from the local assemblies in a particular geography. Additionally, thematic assemblies, can be created to develop inputs into the National Citizens Assembly, e.g. an Environmental Bill of Rights; Digital Bill of Rights; Citizen’s Bill of Rights, etc.
By the end of this stage, a network of interconnected Citizens’ Assemblies will have generated a wealth of ideas on refreshing the Constitution from, by, and for citzens—and from the ground up, creating the strong foundation for the next chapter of the U.S. democracy experiement.
For more information Citizens’ Assemblies, check out these resources:
DemocracyNext: Assembling an Assembly Guide
Leadership Now Project: Guide on Citizens’ Assemblies
Stage 4: The National Citizens' Assembly and Ratification
Stage 4 represents the culmination of our grassroots deliberations: a National Citizens' Assembly that will draft and approve a Refreshed Constitution for the 21st century.
Our current Constitution, for all its historic importance, is profoundly out of date. Written in the 18th century for a nascent agrarian republic, it simply cannot meet the needs of our modern, complex society (Dahl, 2003; Levinson, 2012). The truth is that a handful of wealthy white men in 1787 could not have foreseen the America of today—an America of 50 diverse states, 330 million people, and challenges like digital disinformation and climate change.
Unlike the elite gathering in Philadelphia long ago, this will be a People's Convention. Everyday Americans, chosen to represent our nation's full diversity, will gather to craft a Constitution that responds to modern realities while preserving essential liberties. They carry with them the hopes and input of millions who deliberated in local and regional assemblies during Stage 3.
The ratification process is equally critical. We envision two possible pathways: a National Referendum allowing every American to vote directly on the Refreshed Constitution, or an Accelerated Amendment Process through state legislatures. History shows that when the people rise up in unity, even seemingly impossible reforms can happen quickly.
Our goal is clear: By July 4, 2026—the 250th anniversary of American independence—the people can ratify a Refreshed Constitution through a nationwide movement that creates a political mandate for constitutional renewal and the creation of a new government.
Stage 5: Peaceful Transition to a New Citizen-Driven Democracy
In Stage 5, the movement's vision becomes reality through a peaceful transfer of power to a new government under a refreshed Constitution. History offers inspiring examples of nations that have reinvented themselves without bloodshed—from South Africa's transition from apartheid to multiracial democracy to Eastern Europe's peaceful revolutions (Ackerman & DuVall, 2000).
This requires meticulous planning: ensuring continuity of government services, orchestrating an orderly transfer of authority, gradual transition of government services, maintaining security and stability, and establishing transparent public oversight of the process. By insisting on peace and principled action, we declare that our revolution's ends will not be tainted by dishonorable means.
Stage 6: Defending the Revolution Nonviolently
No revolution goes unchallenged. We must anticipate that those benefiting from the status quo will attempt to suppress this movement through disinformation, political repression, economic retaliation, and even violence. Yet our success depends on unwavering commitment to a new vision for all of us, our children, and future generation. Peaceful inter-partisan strategic resistance is essential.
The oligarchy's greatest fear is an awakened, organized people who refuse to be divided. Every attack they launch can become an advantage if we remain disciplined (Sharp, 2012). Every lie they spread gives us a chance to expose the truth. Every arrest makes a martyr who inspires millions. Every crackdown fuels public outrage against the old system, as history has repeatedly shown (Chenoweth & Stephan, 2011).
Stage 7: Celebrating a New Dawn for America
July 4, 2026 could mark the official rebirth of our democracy. On this day, Americans everywhere will celebrate the ratification of our refreshed Constitution and the beginning of the next chapter of the United States.
We could gather where this experiment in democracy first began—Independence Mall in Philadelphia—and return the Liberty Bell to the bell tower of Independence Hall. As it rings three times—honoring our past, proclaiming liberty, and welcoming our future—bells across the nation will follow.
For our children and all who will inherit this land, we send this message:
"We did this for you. We rose up in love, peace, and solidarity to build a better world. Never let democracy wither. Keep the bell ringing. Keep proclaiming liberty throughout the land."
The Second American Revolution has begun. Join us here!
Join the #unifyUSA 1st Citizens Virtual Town Hall
7 PM Eastern, 6 PM Central, 5 PM Mountain, 4 PM Pacific
Please join your fellow citizens who are birthing this inter-partisan citizens movement on Tuesday, April 1, 2025:
REGISTER ON ZOOM: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/24-OdKtTRBOjfumwyNtGpg
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Dr. Paul Zeitz is the Co-Founder of #unifyUSA, an inter-partisan citizens' movement dedicated to Hit Refresh the U.S. Constitution through Citizens’ Assemblies and author of Revolutionary Optimism: 7 Steps for Living as a Love-Centered Activist.
References
Ackerman, B. (2014). We the People: Transformations. Harvard University Press.
Ackerman, P., & DuVall, J. (2000). A Force More Powerful: A Century of Non-Violent Conflict. St. Martin's Press.
Chenoweth, E., & Stephan, M. J. (2011). Why Civil Resistance Works: The Strategic Logic of Nonviolent Conflict. Columbia University Press.
Dahl, R. A. (2003). How Democratic Is the American Constitution? Yale University Press.
Fishkin, J. S. (2018). Democracy When the People Are Thinking: Revitalizing Our Politics Through Public Deliberation. Oxford University Press.
Jefferson, T. (1789). Letter to James Madison, September 6, 1789.
Landemore, H. (2020). Open Democracy: Reinventing Popular Rule for the Twenty-First Century. Princeton University Press.
Levinson, S. (2012). Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance. Oxford University Press.
Levitsky, S., & Ziblatt, D. (2018). How Democracies Die. Crown.
Sharp, G. (2012). From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation. The New Press.