In November 2023, late terrorist leader Osama bin Laden's infamous “Letter to America” justifying the 2001 World Trade Center attack that killed nearly 3,000 Americans was reposted on TikTok. . Apparently, a significant number of young Americans didn't know much about bin Laden or the 9/11 terrorist attacks and were willing to believe his sermons.
Later, among the students who chanted “From the river to the sea” to show support for the Palestinian cause, more than half could not identify the river or sea in question and named such sea the Caribbean Sea. There were people too. Since they knew little geography, they had little understanding of what they were claiming.
Many people who know little or nothing about seemingly relevant facts nevertheless have opinions, and sometimes strong opinions, on public issues. This separation between opinion and knowledge is characteristic of modern “post-truth” policies, where many citizens no longer care about objective facts and simply accept as truth what they believe and feel. It is sometimes said that there is. It was precisely the danger of people acting on ignorant opinions and feelings that James Madison feared could turn popular government into a “travesty or a travesty.'' It will be a government of opinion, built on a solid foundation of ignorance.
This foundation of ignorance is at least partially due to the American education system. Most young Americans know little about their country's history and institutions. They are victims of what should be called “uncivil education.” The first characteristic of non-civics education is that it does not teach U.S. history effectively. History, civics, and social studies courses are required in all elementary and middle schools in the United States. However, on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), only 13 percent of eighth graders in U.S. history scored proficient or better, and less than half rated proficient in reading and math. do not have.
In class, many schools emphasize “critical thinking” and analytical skills over historical narratives. K-12 curriculum development used to be based on Bloom's taxonomy. It is a hierarchical order often represented as a pyramid with six major categories or steps. At the base of the pyramid is knowledge, followed in ascending order by understanding, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. But today, progressive educators are arguing that this venerable pyramid should be reversed. Students are taught to think creatively first and practical knowledge comes last. No one would deny that analytical thinking is important. But omitting the factual basis opens the door to replacing facts with emotions.
When it comes to colleges, only about 18 percent require a foundational course in U.S. history or government. Most college students are appropriately challenged to think critically and analytically in history and government classes. However, as most professors will attest, the average student's ability to evaluate and analyze facts is hampered by an astonishing lack of knowledge. One of my colleagues said that the students knew almost nothing about World War I and World War II, only knowing which came first because the conflicts were numbered.
Modern pedagogy is also harmful in a second sense. Students are often taught harmful beliefs about America that they are not prepared to evaluate unless they know the facts. In some classrooms, the United States is described as being built on a foundation of racism, settler colonialism, and imperialism. Indeed, American history includes slavery, oppression, and exploitation, and these issues are sometimes ignored in traditional curricula. However, there is an important difference between including and framing. Including uncomfortable facts broadens the breadth of civics education. But viewing American history entirely through the lens of oppression ignores the promise of freedom and prosperity that drew tens of millions of immigrants who struggled to come to America.
Critical pedagogy views America through a lens that obscures and reveals truths about this country. Students who don't know any facts are taught to have only negative feelings about America. Can we be a democracy whose citizens see themselves only as exploitative, racist, and imperialist? Probably not. Uncivil education will ultimately contribute to America's downfall.
