In our ongoing age of wars, perhaps one-third of the world’s 180-plus nations are actively waging some sort of warfare right now. This, after some 2,500 years of recorded human history. That alone might serve to convince us that we’re prone to fight one another, regardless of what history might offer us by way of alternatives. We can decry this state of affairs. We can build up greater military forces, arm ourselves to the teeth, exist in some uneasy truce while we unceasingly watch our flanks and perfect our weapons. And, eventually, we might even convince ourselves that that is how life has to be.

However, that is not the only way in which life in the twenty-first century has to be lived. As the joint statement quoted above maintains, there is another way to face that grim reality. That joint sentiment echoes an earlier observation by Thomas Jefferson: “Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.” That concept is the star guiding the U.S. Tall Ships (USTS) Corporation in its quest to carry that dictum around the world—in peace—aboard a 450-foot, five-masted barquentine named, appropriately enough, Thomas Jefferson.

This visionary dream, lovingly nurtured by USTS’s meticulous research, sprouted from a seed the organizers planted some 20 years ago. Then, in 2006, when tall ships from around the world gathered in European ports to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Tall Ships Races, that dream was brought sharply into focus: Noticeably absent was a U.S. Class-A vessel. The TJ project seeks to remedy that lack by connecting with the global community to forge ties of friendship and to preserve diversity through unity. What better way to bring about human understanding than a U.S.-built tall ship carrying some 150 young students around the globe? Thomas Jefferson will literally be the vessel to carry this vital message to the nations of the world. In the founders’ words, the ship will be a goodwill ambassador.

Our seagoing past in sailing ships speaks not only of a colorful heritage sprinkled with painful challenges but of heroic answers. No past test has tried America’s peoples so vividly as today’s global chaos. USTS sees an imperative: to reach out helping hands through Thomas Jefferson to those who will come peaceably together to prepare the way for our children. The goal: global cooperation and respect among nations.

Why this type of ship? For that matter, why a ship at all? Imagine: We could simply announce a program geared to imbuing young people with understanding and acceptance of diverse global cultures. Many schools of various stripes already do that. However, coralling 150 young, impressionable minds into one more classroom with one more curriculum that tells them one more time about teamwork and togetherness will reap about the same harvest: polite agreement and ill-concealed boredom. Now picture those same inquisitive intellects aboard TJ. They’d be absorbing all those noble traits without knowing it! That’s the magic of the TJ project: What young person wouldn’t leap at the chance to travel the world in that setting? The reward is in the working.

Ashley and Ahmed and José and Indira and Ming and study—very hard, and together—for a specified period aboard TJ, far too busy to waste energy on noticing distinctions. Antagonism is not permitted. Teamwork is the rule and an absolute necessity. And when TJ sails into their home port, they’ll be able to step up proudly and say, “This is where I live. This is my home. Welcome. I want you to meet my President.” And the day’s festivities marking their arrival will celebrate difference through acceptance. Those in attendance will be shown—by example—unity in diversity. And, coincidentally, the entire process could gently persuade them to erase their image of Americans as ogres.

Every aspect of the TJ outreach is designed to reinforce lasting relationships through life-altering experiences. Thus, mixed groups of four high-school juniors—rather than individuals—plus a teacher will apply together (half boys, half girls; approximately three-fourths American, one-fourth foreign). In that way, friends can enter the process together: They will prepare, travel, and return together. This recruitment option, aimed at maximum bonding, will help to alleviate the re-entry syndrome where-in students who experience these programs, and are changedby them, typically withdraw from their friends. Members of groups serving together will interact with their home school systems, sharing real-time experiences and keeping them  connected with the mission and crew after they return home. Then, back among their peers, they will have an additional school year to share their newly found understanding of the world and of their “neighbors”. They will build communities wherever they go—and long after their voyage ends.

Each group applying will be expected to present a convincing demonstration of why they should be aboard. An essential—indeed, the overriding—factor in any applicant’s rationale would be a passion for learning and motivating. School systems from various global locations would decide which students they want to represent them and exemplify their culture. Acceptance for the TJ project would sidestep socioeconomic barriers, though qualifying students would be fully competent in at least one language. They would sail free of charge; their airfare to port of departure would be their only financial responsibility. . . a natural impetus for fundraising by supporters in their communities.

The USTS vision is of the construction and operationof a vessel—Thomas Jefferson, a five-masted sailing ship, the largest ever built in the United States. However, USTS chooses to see TJ not as an American ship but as a “people”ship — serving students from the many nations represented on board. Its primary purpose will be sail training combined with scholastic education and cultural exchange. Equally important will be TJ’s function as host of and centerpiece for special events across the globe. Welcomed aboard her 450-foot length will be, besides students and teachers, international civic and business leaders, corporate sponsors and their clients, and citizens from many locales. Because USTS is funding and constructing the ship using American resources, bringing her into being offers a unique opportunity to showcase many U.S. technologies and products (especially green solutions) to people the world over. USTS will invite civic and business leaders and the interested public aboard this floating showroom to witness expertise that will support the ship’s daily operation in the“real world.”

In that regard, TJ will be eminently “tourable.” Tall Ships festivals are more heavily attended than any sport. For example, in 2007, 2 million people attended a three-day weekend gathering in Szeczin, Poland, and 15 million showed up online. Tall ships attract fascinated devotees worldwide, and calls for a U.S. tall ship are heard everywhere. Visitors from all walks of life will want to examine every segment of TJ’s design and capabilities.

A barquentine is a vessel of three or more masts, including one or two square-rigged masts, with the remainder fore-and aft-rigged. Such a ship is known for both its speed and its beauty. Her square sails call for a coordinated team to furl and unfurl them, presenting an ideal sail-training venue.