The Patriot’s Guide: What You Can Do for Your Country

• Practice the Virtues of Self Governance: 1) Be a responsible citizen; 2) Care for your family; 3) Practice your faith and defend your religious liberty; 4) Join organizations and volunteer in your local community; 5) Start a business and invest in America.
• Voice Your Opinion: 1) Vote; 2) Write letters and comment online; 3) Contact your elected officials; 4) Call radio shows; 5) Participate in local town-hall meetings, tea party activism and local assemblies.
• Encourage Discussion: 1) Start a blog or Web site; 2) Challenge liberals with fact-based arguments; 3) Encourage the media to represent conservative principles; 4) Encourage candidates and elected representatives to learn more about conservative ideas; 5) Get conservative editorials and letters in your local newspaper; 6) Support teachers, educational programs, and schools that teach the truth about America and its principles.
• Spread the Word: 1) Talk to your family and friends; 2) Join social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter; 3) Bring issues you care about to your civic, social, church, or business groups; 4) Celebrate America’s heritage and distribute pocket Constitutions.
• Join the Conservative Movement: 1) Support think tanks and institutions fighting for conservative principles and polices; 2) If you are a student, apply for an internship, such as the year-round program at The Heritage Foundation. These programs are designed to foster young leaders and help them grow as part of the larger conservative movement.

Rediscover the Principles of Liberty

• We Still Hold These Truths: The future of liberty depends on reclaiming America’s first principles. Read We Still Hold These Truths: Rediscovering Our Principles, Reclaiming Our Future, a powerful overview of those principles—how they developed, what they mean, and the debate over their status today. Get a copy of the study guide that accompanies the book, appropriate for self-study, as a teaching manual or as the basis for a discussion group.
• The Heritage Guide to the Constitution: Free citizens must understand the extent of their rights and the constitutional limits on the powers of government. Get The Heritage Guide to the Constitution, an easy to understand line-by-line examination of the Framers’ Constitution and its contemporary meaning.
• Reading the Right Books: Keep reading and learning! Reading the Right Books is an annotated bibliography of thoughtful books (on history, politics, literature, economics, statesmanship, religion, public policy, and modern conservative thought) recommended as a guide for intelligent, conservative-minded readers who want to prepare themselves for a public life of thought and action.

Follow the Important Issues of the Day

• Stay Informed: 1) Go to Thomas.gov and review pending legislation; 2) Track local issues with organizations such as the American Legislative Exchange Council or the State Policy Network; 3) Follow several organizations on Facebook and Twitter so you can get all sides to every story.
• Find the Organization That Is Right For You: There are many conservative organizations out there. Decide what issues matter most to you, and then support the appropriate institution. Check out www.policyexperts.org to help narrow your search.
• Go to Heritage.org: 1) Sign up for the Morning Bell at Foundry.org; 2) The Foundry blog at Heritage promotes conservative policies and principles by marrying the best in public policy research with every day’s current events; 3) Read and share our Fact Sheets, which give overviews of the complex issues of our day; and 4) InsiderOnline.org maintains a searchable database of policy research, publications, and legal actions throughout the nation.

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