President Introduces History & Civic Education Initiatives
Remarks of the President on Teaching American History and Civic Education Initiative
The Rose Garden
8:42 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Welcome to the Rose Garden;
thanks for getting up so early.
I do want to appreciate David McCullough. It's an honor to be
introduced by David McCullough. I appreciate his contribution to our
nation. He's made history come alive for millions of Americans. He's
encouraged the teaching of history in our classrooms. He's made a
lasting contribution to our nation. And we're grateful for that
contribution. (Applause.)
It is fitting that on the anniversary of the signing of the
Constitution, the three branches of our government are represented
here.
Here in America, we see a broad renewal of American patriotism.
And this is something to give thanks for, it really is. And it's
something we must build on. To properly understand and love our
country, we must know our country's history.
Today, I am announcing several initiatives that will improve
students' knowledge of American history, increase their civic
involvement, and deepen their love for our great country.
I appreciate so very much Lynne Cheney, her -- well, the fact she
married a great Vice President, for starters. (Laughter.) But she
loves history. She has written books to encourage our children to
understand history. Today, she's hosting a celebration of the 215th
anniversary of the U.S. Constitution at the Vice President's house --
she kindly invited Laura to go.
I appreciate Justice Anthony Kennedy for coming. Not only is he a
great Supreme Court Justice, he cares about the community in which he
lives. He's worked with the American Bar Association on what they call
a "Dialogue on Freedom", an initiative to foster discussions in our
nation's classrooms about American civic values. Thank you, Justice
Kennedy, for that. (Applause.)
Delayed applause is better than no applause. (Laughter.)
I appreciate so very much our Secretary of Education, Rod Paige.
Rod is a -- he's a straightforward fellow who cares deeply about our
children. When we say no child should be left behind, he means it.
He's doing a great job. Mr. Secretary, thank you for coming.
(Applause.)
I do want to thank the members of Congress who are here. I'm
especially pleased that Senator Kennedy and Senator Gregg from the
Senate have come. These two strange bedfellows worked together to pass
one of the most comprehensive education reform plans in our nation's
history. They care deeply about our country. I'm honored that you two
are here.
And also two fine members from the House of Representatives,
Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner and Congressman Tim Roemer. We're honored
that you're here. Thank you for coming. And thank you for your deep
concern about our country and its future. (Applause.)
I thank Bob Cole for being here, who's the Chairman of the National
Endowment for the Humanities. I thank John Carlin, who's the National
Archivist, and Cathy Gorn, who's the Executive Director of National
History Day.
I thank Les Lenkowsky, who's the CEO of the Corporation for
National and Community Service. I appreciate my friend Stephen
Goldsmith, who's Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Corporation
for National and Community Service, for being here. And thank you all
for coming.
In the last year, in this last year of American history, we have
witnessed acts of sacrifice and heroism, compassion and courage, unity
and fierce determination. We have been reminded that we are citizens
with obligations to each other, to our country, and to our history.
These examples are particularly important for our children.
Children reflect the values they see in their parents, and in their
heroes. And this is how a culture can be strengthened and changed for
the better.
During the last year, our children have seen that lasting
achievement in life comes through sacrifice and service. They've seen
that evil is real, but that courage and justice can triumph. They've
seen that America is a force for good in the world, bringing hope and
freedom to other people.
In recent events, our children have witnessed the great character
of America. Yet they also need to know the great cause of America.
They are seeing Americans fight for our country; they also must know
why their country is worth fighting for.
Our history is not a story of perfection. It's a story of
imperfect people working toward great ideals. This flawed nation is
also a really good nation, and the principles we hold are the hope of
all mankind. When children are given the real history of America, they
will also learn to love America.
Our Founders believed the study of history and citizenship should
be at the core of every American's education. Yet today, our children
have large and disturbing gaps in their knowledge of history. Recent
studies tell us that nearly one in five high school seniors think that
Germany was an ally of the United States in World War II. Twenty-eight
percent of eighth graders do not know the reason why the Civil War was
fought. One-third of fourth graders do not know what it means to
"pledge allegiance to the flag." Graduating seniors at some of our
leading colleges and universities cannot correctly identify words from
the Gettysburg Address, or do not know that James Madison is the father
of the Constitution.
This is more than academic failure. Ignorance of American history
and civics weakens our sense of citizenship. To be an American is not
just a matter of blood or birth; we are bound by ideals, and our
children must know those ideals.
They should know about the nearly impossible victory of the
Revolutionary War, and the debates of the Constitutional Convention.
They should know the meaning of the Declaration of Independence, and
how Abraham Lincoln applied its principles to flight -- to fight
slavery. Our children should know why Martin Luther King, Jr., was in
a Birmingham city jail, and why he wrote a magnificent letter from that
place.
Our children need to know about America's liberation of Europe
during World War II, and why the Berlin Wall came down. At this very
moment, Americans are fighting in foreign lands for principles defined
at our founding, and every American -- particularly every American
child -- should fully understand these principles.
The primary responsibility for teaching history and civics rests
with our elementary and secondary schools, and they've got to do their
job. The federal government can help, and today I'm announcing three
new initiatives spearheaded by the USA Freedom Corps and designed to
support the teaching of American history and civic education.
The first initiative is called We the People -- it will be
administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities -- which
will encourage the teaching of American history and civic education.
The program will provide grants to develop good curricula; hold
training seminars for schoolteachers and university faculty; sponsor a
lecture series in which acclaimed scholars -- like David McCullough
-- will tell the story of great figures from American history; and
enlist high school students in a nation essay contest about the
principles and ideals of America. We will use technology to share
these important lessons with schools and communities throughout
America.
The federal government conserves and protects some of our greatest
national treasures, and we need to make them more readily available to
Americans in their schools and local communities. Our second
initiative is called Our Documents, an innovative project that will be
run by the National Archives and the National History Day. This
project will use the Internet to bring one hundred of America's most
important documents from the National Archives to classrooms and
communities across the country, provide lesson plans, and to foster
competitions and discussions about these defining moments in our
history.
Students and their teachers will see documents online in their
original form -- well-known documents such as our Constitution or the
Emancipation Proclamation or the Civil Rights Act of 1964. They will
also see other important but less widely available documents, such as
the Lee Resolution, which first proposed independence for American
colonies, and Jefferson's Secret Message to Congress regarding the
exploration of the West.
Third, early next year we will convene a White House forum on
American history, civics, and service. We will discuss new policies to
improve the teaching of history and civics in elementary and secondary
schools, and in our colleges and universities. We will hear from
educators and scholars about ways to better monitor students'
understanding of American history and civics, and how to make more of
our great national treasures, how to make them more accessible and more
relevant to the lives of our students.
American children are not born knowing what they should cherish --
are not born knowing why they should cherish American values. A love
of democratic principles must be taught.
A poet once said, "What we have loved, others will love, and we
will teach them how." We love our country, and we must teach our
children to do the same. And when we do, they will carry on our
heritage of freedom into the future.