Drew Gilpin Faust, the former president of Harvard University, issued a passionate call for Americans to defend core national values such as freedom, democracy, and autonomy, as the nation marked Memorial Day to honor those who sacrificed their lives for these ideals. Writing in a guest opinion essay for the New York Times, Faust connected the legacy of fallen soldiers to current challenges facing the United States, warning that these foundational principles are again in jeopardy.
Faust, who made history as the first woman to lead Harvard from 2007 to 2018 and who remains a professor at the institution, did not mention Donald Trump by name. However, she made unmistakable references to the current administration and expressed concern that the very structures of American democracy—constitutional checks and balances and the rule of law—are being undermined.
“We are being asked not to charge into … artillery fire but only to speak up and to stand up in the face of foundational threats to the principles for which [the US civil war dead] gave the last full measure of devotion. We have been entrusted with their legacy. Can we trust ourselves to uphold it?” she wrote.
Faust’s commentary was framed around the significance of Memorial Day, specifically reflecting on the sacrifices of Union soldiers during the American Civil War. She highlighted the enduring influence of President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, emphasizing the values for which they fought.
“We must honor these men,” Faust asserted, linking the courage and vision of 19th-century leaders to the urgent need for civic action today.
Reflecting on the past, she noted that roughly 2.7 million men, most of whom were volunteers, fought between 1861 and 1865 to preserve the United States as a model of democratic governance during a time when such systems appeared to be waning worldwide. She drew a parallel to the current political climate, cautioning that democracy is once again under siege—this time by autocratic figures around the globe.
“Today democracy is once again under worldwide threat, assailed as disorderly and inefficient by autocratic leaders from Budapest to Moscow to Beijing, leaders our own president openly admires,” she wrote.
Faust explained that Abraham Lincoln viewed the Confederacy’s secession as more than a regional rebellion; to him, it was a “direct assault” on government by the people—an affront to a system of governance in which the majority is held accountable through constitutional structures. In this context, she warned that the American system of checks and balances is being steadily eroded.
“Those structured checks and the rule of law that embodies and enacts them are once again at risk as we confront the subservience of Congress, the defiance of judicial mandates and the arrogation of presidential power in a deluge of unlawful executive orders,” she wrote.
Many critics of Trump have voiced similar concerns. They point to Republican lawmakers’ willingness to tolerate the president’s growing authority, the muted response of Democrats, and the administration’s repeated refusal to comply with court rulings. These include controversial immigration policies and the dismissal of federal officials and oversight bodies without due process.
Faust’s warning comes amid rising tensions between Harvard and the Trump administration. Trump has repeatedly accused the university of harboring antisemitic sentiments and discriminating against Jewish students. He has also criticized its diversity initiatives and tried to impose federal pressure to reshape its policies.
The conflict escalated last Friday when Harvard filed a lawsuit against several federal agencies and cabinet officials. The university accused the administration of violating the Constitution by attempting to rescind federal approval for its enrollment of international students. A federal judge quickly issued an injunction to block the ban temporarily.
This was not Harvard’s first legal action against the administration. In April, the university also sued over what it described as Trump’s efforts to “gain control of academic decision-making” and his administration’s threat to review approximately $9 billion in federal funding.
On Memorial Day itself, Trump amplified his criticism on social media. He posted: “I am considering taking Three Billion Dollars of Grant Money away from a very antisemitic Harvard, and giving it to TRADE SCHOOLS all across our land,” adding, “What a great investment that would be for the USA.” Despite the strong rhetoric, the president had not taken formal steps or released further clarifying statements by Monday afternoon.
Responding to the accusations, Harvard’s current president, Alan Garber, who is Jewish, denounced the administration’s demands as “illegal” and accused Trump of trying “to control whom we hire and what we teach.”
Faust, a historian with deep ties to the American South, concluded her essay by reiterating the lasting significance of the Civil War and the moral responsibility carried by modern Americans. She emphasized that the soldiers who gave their lives for the Union did not do so in vain; their sacrifice laid the groundwork for future generations to enjoy freedom and opportunity.
“They were impelled to risk all by a sense of obligation to the future,” she wrote, adding, “we possess a reciprocal obligation to the past” and that “we must not squander what they bequeathed to us.”
Faust’s message, though centered on Memorial Day, resonates far beyond the holiday. It serves as a reminder that the values defended in past generations are not self-sustaining. In her view, the stability of democratic governance requires active participation, vigilance, and moral courage.
By evoking the Civil War, Faust draws a powerful historical comparison to the present-day situation. She suggests that while Americans today are not being asked to go to war, they are nonetheless called upon to defend democracy—by speaking out, resisting unlawful overreach, and upholding the rule of law. In doing so, they would honor the sacrifices of the past and secure the legacy of freedom for the future.
