Leading the Charge on Civic Education

By Thomas KellySeptember 06, 2023 The need for stronger civics instruction has never been clearer. As recently released test scores revealed, American students simply do not possess the civics knowledge they need to become thoughtful and engaged citizens. Knowledge of basic facts is important; knowledge of our nation’s story and founding ideals—which gives meaning to […]
Make American History Dramatic Again

By Jonathan Den HartogAugust 23, 2023 Public debates have recently focused on school history standards – what the Advanced Placement program should teach in its African-American Studies course and what the state of Florida should say about the effects of slavery. These are important questions. But I’m concerned about a longer-term problem: the danger of […]
Jack Miller Center Unveils New Civics Library

By Mike Sabo “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who means to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power knowledge gives,” wrote James Madison. The success of the American experiment in self-government depends on an informed, united citizenry that is engaged in public life. ContextUS is the Jack Miller Center’s newly […]
Employing First-Person Sources Can Re-Humanize History

By Hans Zeiger The field of American history is in crisis. Earlier this month, the Department of Education released troubling data indicating that only 13% of eighth-graders met proficiency standards in history. Students are failing to understand the American story and our shared values – and the consequences are severe. To those of us in the civic […]
Equity and the Race to the Bottom

By Jack Miller Over the last few years, the rallying cry of “woke” activists has become “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” (often abbreviated to DEI). There is little reason to object to such principles on the surface. After all, America was founded on the principle that all people are created equal. Unfortunately, the meaning of words can change […]
Educating for Freedom

By Alberto Coll This is an abridged version of Professor Coll’s essay in the Winter 2023 issue of The American Experiment, the Jack Miller Center’s historical journal. How do we educate our students for freedom? After all, many of them arrive in college today believing that the United States is systematically oppressive, hopelessly unjust, and […]
Presidents Day is a Farce

Presidents Day is a farce. It is an empty excuse for three day weekends for some, and bonanza sales for others. But seriously, does any one spend any meaningful time reflecting and commemorating our Presidents? Of course not. This was not always so. Celebrating Washington’s birthday began during the American Revolution at Valley Forge in […]
How MLK Embodied Our Founding First Principles

By: Hans Zeigler Nearly 60 years ago, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. King’s powerful plea for equal rights has resonated with Americans ever since, in no small part because his message was wrapped in an enlightened patriotism. He understood that the best […]
David McCullough: America’s Storyteller  

By: Hans Zeigler Historian David McCullough, who passed away on Aug. 7, spent his life telling stories that his fellow citizens should know. He wrote well-known biographies of John Adams, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and the Wright Brothers. He got his start chronicling the Johnstown Flood before turning to the creation of the Brooklyn Bridge […]
Jack Miller Center Announces New President, Aggressive National Civics Education Plan

By: Mike Sabo As part of an ambitious, five-year strategic plan to reinvigorate a civic education grounded in American founding principles and history, the Jack Miller Center has named Hans Zeiger as its next president. Zeiger will begin his new role on August 1. Founded in 2004, the Jack Miller Center is a nonprofit civic education organization […]