James F. O’Connor, the president of the Ohio Council for the Social Studies, explains in a piece at the Cincinnati Inquirer: A famous tale about Benjamin Franklin goes as follows: Franklin was walking out of Independence Hall after the Constitutional...
civics
How Hillsdale College, the “champion of American exceptionalism,” is shaping civics education in Tennessee
In November 2020, then president Donald Trump announced his 1776 Commission, a commission charged with delivering a conservative alternative to The New York Times 1619 Project. There were no American historians on the commission, but there was plenty of room...
For the first time in American history, advocates of patriotic education are claiming their curriculum is based on fact
This is a fascinating essay by Timothy Messer-Kruse of Bowling Green State University. It covers Josh Hawley’s “Love America Act” and Hillsdale College’s 1776 Curriculum. For most of the last two centuries, patriotic schooling was not a partisan issue. Both...
Museums across the country participate in the “Civic Season”
Lila Thulin of Smithsonianmag.com reports on this new initiative. Here is a taste of her piece: …Civic Season, a three-week period that stretches from Flag Day on June 14 through the Fourth of July, and includes Juneteenth and Pride Month,...
Department of Education proposes “priorities” for American History and Civics programs
You can read the document here. These priorities may influence who gets federal money for American history and civics programs and who does not. The Department is soliciting comments on these proposed priorities. The American History and Civics Education programs...
Is it time to bring back “School House Rock?”
I learned the preamble to the United States Constitution from watching School House Rock on Saturday mornings. (I often break into the “The Preamble” song when I cover the Constitution in my lectures). Historian Paul Ringel wants to revise the...
Is civics education making a comeback?
Here is Joe Heim at The Washington Post: Now, a diverse collection of academics, historians, teachers, school administrators and state education leaders is proposing an overhaul of the way civics and history are taught to American K-12 students. And they’re...
The Trump White House does American history
On Thursday, Constitution Day, Donald Trump announced something called the “1776 Commission.” Here is a taste of his speech: Today, I am also pleased to announce that I will soon sign an Executive Order establishing a national commission to promote...
Citizenship is More Than Just the Facts We Learned in Civics Class
History News Network is running my piece on history and citizenship. Here is a taste: Good students and teachers of history understand full well that history is more than just “the facts.” Yet even they may fail to grasp the...
A Time for Citizenship
It’s not really that difficult to be a citizen in times like these. Health officials are telling us to stay six feet apart, wash our hands, avoid crowds, self-quarantine, and check on our older neighbors. If we want to get...
Lamar Alexander’s Statement is Full of Historical Problems
If Lamar Alexander wants to oppose witnesses in the Donald Trump impeachment trial he has that right. But spare us the “history” lesson. Alexander statement says: I worked with other senators to make sure that we have the right to...
Robert Westbrook Reviews Jill Lepore, *These Truths*
Over at The Christian Century, University of Rochester intellectual historian Robert Westbrook reviews Lepore’s These Truths: A History of the United States. Here is a taste: Even if Lepore in some respects falls short on her own terms, it would be churlish in the...
Danielle Allen’s Commencement Address at Pomona College
Scroll ahead to the 1:08:22 mark: [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u–gu6XrDVI&w=560&h=315] When you are finished watching Allen’s short speech, read Conor Freidersdorf’s take at The Atlantic....
It’s Not The “Teaching American History” Grants, But It Is Something
Here are the details from The National Coalition for History: Federal Funding Opportunity for K-12 History and Civics Grants Announced Federal Competitive Grant funding is now available for K-12 History and Civics Education professional development! The US Department of Education has...
What Does the Trump Budget Mean for Civics, History, Archives, and Education?
The National Coalition for History sums it up pretty well: On May 23, President Trump sent his proposed fiscal year (FY) 2018 budget request to Congress. As expected, it includes devastating cuts to federal history and humanities funding including elimination...
Don’t Know Much About History
David Barton recently appeared on the Glenn Beck radio program to talk about history education. He argues that “the progressives” are to blame for lack of student knowledge in American history today. Listen here: [soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/323951347″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true”...
Can You Pass a United States Citizenship Test?
Matt O’Brien of the Associated Press reports that school systems around the country think it is important that children “know as least as much about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Federalist papers as immigrants passing a citizenship...
Should Colleges Be Producing Citizens?
An organization of conservative academics and intellectuals known as the National Association of Scholars (NAS) recently released a 525-page report titled “Making Citizens: How American Universities Teach Civics.” It is a critique of what the NAS describes as the “New Civics.”...
Show Your Support for the Funding of History in Schools
I strongly encourage you to write your member of the House of Representatives. STEM may produce good workers in a capitalist economy, but history and the humanities are essential for the preservation of our democracy.From the Organization of American Historians...