Civics Education Abandoned – The Consequences

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.?We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream.?It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and children’s children what is was once like in the United States where men were free.”… Ronald Reagan

Why are Americans so dramatically lacking basic civics knowledge????Civics is especially important in the 21st century, as Americans become increasingly oblivious to even the most simplistic civics knowledge.?In 2021, fewer than half of Americans could name all three branches of government, and only 24% could name freedom of religion as a constitutional right.[i]?Further, 1 in 4 Americans could not name any of the protections provided under the First Amendment. The erosion of even a basic grasp of American civics goes beyond a lack of appreciation of American founding documents or historical civic processes, but rather complete disregard for the relevance of these historical cherished items.?The decline is not specific to a single segment of American society but rather is representative across a large swath of our population.?Only 39% of native-born Americans, across all ages, can pass the U.S. citizenship test, while only 20% of native-born Americans under the age of 45 can pass it.[ii]

The challenge to overcoming this tragedy is that there is little appreciation for understanding the Founding document. Our student, who will eventually be the voting population and guarantors of future generation’s liberty can’t appreciate our Founding principles if they are unaware of them. In 2020, there were only 30 states requiring students have a minimum of one semester of civics which included state history, while 11 states had no civics requirement at all[iii].?The problem, unfortunately gets worse, a major source of the dilemma is that the nation’s founding principles are being undermined not only in the colleges and universities, which have drifted steadily leftward, but even in K-12 education, where students are taught inaccurate, revisions of history, such as Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States and the New York Times’ 1619 Project[iv], an abomination of miss information and a grievance-based narrative on race.

Of course the lack of information on the founding principle of the United States or worse the openly false activist behaviors promoted by school districts are having devastating effect on our citizenry. The plummeting numbers by numerous polls indicate falling patriotism. Only 16% of Gen-Z Americans report feeling proud to live in the United States.?Without patriotism, it will be difficult to maintain a strong country and collective national identity.[v] In place of understanding the U.S. Constitution, the various Amendments to the Constitution, Bill of Rights, the branches of government, historical events and figures around these principles; students are force feed Critical Race Theory (CRT) or transgender ideology.?The insufficient investment in civic education undercuts one of the original purposes of establishing public education in the mid-1800s: to inform citizens and prepare them for the tasks of self-government.

We must act with a sense of urgency to reestablish a standard of civics education centered on the Founding principles, documents and historical figures of America.?Schools once treated civic studies curriculum seriously.?Righting the ship means a return to rigorously, accurately teaching the story of our founding and principles on which our democracy was built and continues to advance.[vi]?Here are five actions to reestablish the importance of civics in schools and across the broader citizenry:

1.??????Parents must become involved in their children’s education. This starts with school boards.?There are 90,000 school board members play a critical role in 51 million K-12 education.?School board members help shape the curriculum and shape the education of our children

2.??????Make teaching civics a priority.?Make more time for teaching civic in a finite school day is important given the focus on math and reading. However, if the schools have time to teach CRT and other radical ideologies, they have time to teach the importance of our founding principles

3.??????Both adults and children join associations or clubs which support civic responsibilities and civic education.?There are many organizations that foster a better understanding of American democracy which are essential not only for creating a more informed citizen, but also a more patriotic citizen.?

4.??????As a parent or guardian, educate yourself through a variety of media.?There are so many great informative online channels, podcasts, and programs available as resources.?Patriotic options are available such as 1776 Unites from the Bob Woodson Center, which is a great source to understand the country’s authentic founding virtues and values.?

5.??????Contact your local political representatives to ensure they are aware of your determination to make civics education a priority.

Exposing young people to quality civic-learning curricula and opportunities –including opportunities for students to engage with their communities, peers and local institutions- provides a myriad of personal benefits for students. Exposure to civic-learning opportunities increases students’ understanding of economic and political processes, improves critical thinking, and strengthens the capacity for teamwork and collaboration – all skills needed to succeed in the 21st century.[vii]

The views in this article are the author’s and do not reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government or Department of Defense.?All Right Reserved.

Author: By J. David Pinkston

J. David Pinkston is President and Founder of Victory Patriotism LLC, where he advocates for greater historical, diplomatic, military, and civic education. ?www.victorypatriotism.com

[i] Spoehr, Thomas; “Why Junior ROTC Programs in U.S. High Schools Are Needed Now More Than Ever”, The Heritage Foundation, 23 May, 2023

[ii] Gorka, Katharine Cornell; “Why We Must Advocate for Better Civics Education in Our Schools”, The Heritage Foundation, 2 July 2020

[iii] Adams, Michael; “I’m a State Election Chief.?We Need to Do Something About Civics Education”, Education Week, 22 November, 2022

[iv] Gorka, Katharine Cornell; “Why We Must Advocate for Better Civics Education in Our Schools”, The Heritage Foundation, 2 July 2020

[v] Spoehr, Thomas; “Why Junior ROTC Programs in U.S. High Schools Are Needed Now More Than Ever”, The Heritage Foundation, 23 May, 2023

[vi] Mathis, Joel’ Why are American students failing, history”, The Week, 5 May 2023

[vii] Adams, Michael; “I’m a State Election Chief.?We Need to Do Something About Civics Education”, Education Week, 22 November, 2022