In America the people are supposed to be in charge
In America
the people
are supposed to be in charge
How to Get Started: Narrative strategy resources and sources of inspiration
Step 1: Learn more
- Dive into the details in our FREE 250 Narrative Guide, created with Topos Partnership or check out our short summary document for the key takeaways.
Step 2: Get inspired
- Explore our Gallery of Creativity, which illustrates the narrative frame through stories in history, photography, poetry, visual art, and more.
- Join us on Instagram. In the Hands of the People is an account created and maintained by Think Big to highlight both the expressions and the spirit of the core idea – In America, the people are supposed to be in charge. Help us spread the word by liking, commenting on, and sharing. You can download or remix our reels from the site to use as you wish.
Step 3: Use, adapt, and share the content ideas below
- Browse the social media ideas and sample posts included in this toolkit.
- Share the posts as is or adapt to reflect your organization’s voice, audience, and priorities.
Ready-to-Use Graphics for Social Posts: Visuals that bring the narrative strategy to life
These graphics bringing the narrative strategy to life were created by Kevin Banatte, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of The South for the audience of the South. They are designed to be shared together as a single story arc, though some images — like 3, 5, and 11 — can also stand on their own. Click images to enlarge.
Download all images HERE.
Ready-to-Use Text and Graphics for Social Posts:
Grab copy and visuals that are based on tested concept boards.
The post ideas that follow are inspired by metaphors and imagery tested with more than 4,500 Americans. Want to dig into what resonated and why? Explore the Narrative Guide for more on the concept board findings, beginning on page 11.
Grab these images/text and use as-is on your social platforms, or feel free to adapt them for your audience, voice, and priorities.
Create Your Own Posts: Guidance and ideas to help you adapt the message for your audience.
In America, the people are supposed to be in charge is not a slogan, but shorthand for two-deeply held interconnected American beliefs:
From the ground up: There is a deep conviction that power and progress comes from the many, not the few.
A voice, a say, and real respect: A belief that ordinary people have a right to be heard, to have influence, to be treated with genuine respect in shaping the world around them.
There are many ways to bring this overarching narrative to life through stories and visuals that highlight different dimensions of the idea and can speak to your specific audiences. For example:
Lean into history: Share stories that highlight a central theme in American history: progress happens when everyday people find their power and act together. These are stories that are powerfully reflected in civil rights, labor, and people-powered movements. The idea is exemplified in the town hall and the block party as well as in stories of technological or artistic innovation. In the right context, they can be backed with cultural American symbols.
Lean into the strength of the People means ALL the people. Share stories that highlight that a country by, for, and of the people must truly mean ALL the people. Remember it’s about shared purpose, not total agreement. Illustrate this part of the story with imagery that reflects the country’s richness and variety — across regions, cultures, and viewpoints — from neighborhood gatherings and potlucks to community celebrations and people working together toward shared goals.
Lean into individual agency and collective responsibility. Share stories that America is not just a nation of individuals, but a place where each person has a role to play and a responsibility to help shape a country of, by, and for the people. This idea can be illustrated not only through images and stories of traditional civic participation — voting, attending a town hall, passing a petition — but also through the everyday ways people come together to solve problems and improve their communities like mutual aid networks, community-driven efforts to expand broadband or protect clean water, in volunteer efforts at the local food bank etc.