- David Randall is the director of research at the National Association of Scholars.
- John Hendrickson is the policy director for the Iowan Tax Relief Foundation.
A crisis has existed in schools across the country for decades. Study after study shows that students are not receiving enough education about American history, American government, or Western civilization. The decline in civics education and the alarming level of ignorance is worrying. The Iowa Legislature is working to not only restore but strengthen civics education in the K-12 curriculum. The goal is to realign the social studies curriculum around an appreciation of our nation's history and ideals of freedom and republican self-government.
The measures under consideration would bring several improvements to K-12 public education about American history, American government, and Western civilization. These reforms include emphasizing the importance of teaching primary documents of American history, including the founding documents, and requiring civics literacy tests for both high school and college graduates. Additionally, the measure would center instruction on America's ideals, free institutions, and history of republican self-government. Another important reform would be to replace current world history instruction with Western civilization.
The measure would also ban the use of “behavioral civics” in both K-12 and university curricula. “Action Civics” doesn't actually learn about our nation's past or our government, but it has become a tool for the radical left to use tax dollars and school time to teach job training in progressive activism.
The decline in civics education can be partially attributed to the increased focus on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) courses. These are important parts of the curriculum, but so are American history, American government, and Western civilization. But much of the decline in civics education is a direct result of radical curriculum and ideology. The “1619 Project'' and critical race theory are just two of his examples, but this includes alternatives such as multiculturalism and world history at the expense of learning a coherent narrative of Western civilization. It also includes acceptance. Sadly, too many teachers teach hateful caricatures about American history and Western civilization.
The late historian David McCullough believed we have a responsibility to understand and appreciate our rich history. “History is not something that should be taught, read, or encouraged just because it makes us better citizens,” McCullough said. “It will make us better citizens, more thoughtful and understanding of humans.”
He went on to say, “We must teach history, cultivate history, and encourage history. It's an antidote to the idea that everything we think about is ultimate.” The best. “
What does it mean to be American? How have we benefited from Western civilization? These are two important questions that many American youth are unable to answer. History is not only under attack in the classroom. It is enough to see numerous historic statues being torn down, buildings renamed, and historic sites threatened with closure. All are the result of a radical ideological plan to rewrite American history and nullify Western civilization.
In The Death of the West, Patrick J. Buchanan writes: Answer: Destroy that memory. Denies knowledge of who people are and where they come from. …By destroying the records of a people's past and leaving them ignorant of who their ancestors were and what they did, we can fill the empty vessel of their souls with a new history. ”
The decline of civics education is a moral crisis we must resolve, and Iowa legislators are working to help restore and strengthen civics education. All Iowans should support them in this necessary and great reform.
David Randall is the director of research at the National Association of Scholars.John Hendrickson is policy director at the Iowan Tax Relief Foundation..
