Commentary There’s currently a raging national debate on what our students should know or not know about American history. This debate goes to the very core of our national being and future. That’s why I chose to write my new book, “Toward a Perfect Union: The Moral and Cultural Case for Teaching the Great American…
American Individualism, Rightly Understood
Commentary Recently, a rabbi who knows of my work promoting civic education in our schools asked me, “Are you an American first or a Jew first?” At first, I didn’t know how to respond. After a moment, I said, “Well, I am Jack Miller first. I was born in America and love it for the…
Academic Statesmanship Is the Key to Our Civic Recovery
Commentary As numerous scholars have noted, America is engaged in a “Cold Civil War.” Political differences revolve around adhering to the original Constitution or rejecting it for a living Constitution hollowed of any enduring meaning. In such a situation, the role of civic education could provide a soothing balm to America’s inflamed political passions. A recent study by…
Civic Education Must Innovate to Deepen Constitutional Knowledge and Strengthen the Republic
Commentary In his first inaugural address, George Washington put the fate of this country’s democracy in the care of its people. “The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty, and the destiny of the Republican model of Government,” Washington explained, “are justly considered as deeply, perhaps as finally staked, on the experiment entrusted to the hands…
4 Things We Should Teach Children About the Constitution
Commentary When we think of the United States Constitution, we probably consider the structure it gives to our national government. We may think of its presence at the center of political controversies past and present. Or we may think of ways in which the document has been neglected. But as we mark the 235th anniversary…
The Declaration’s Vision Should Unite Us
Commentary Deep divisions and endless hostility—especially around the controversial topics of race and discrimination—threaten to tear our nation apart. Such serious matters must be discussed and resolved. But they shouldn’t make us forget the one thing that has always united Americans of varied ethnicities, races, and religions as one people. Very simply, it is the…
The Tocqueville Program Fosters Self-Governing Citizens
Commentary Professors Benjamin and Jenna Storey have a motto: “Education must begin from where the students are.” Today, they note, “an increasing number of bright, politically interested young people prefer Karl Marx, Carl Schmitt, and Malcolm X to the ‘Federalist Papers,’ John Stuart Mill, and Martin Luther King, Jr.” While the Storeys find such attractions “obviously troubling,” they also “take…
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