NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
On Sept. 17, in Washington, D.C., a coalition of more than 40 groups gathered with U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to plan to upgrade civic and history education on the eve of America’s semiquincentennial — the 250th birthday of our independence in 2026.
Education leaders and policymakers started the process of fortifying classrooms against the corrosive tide of anti-American indoctrination that’s poisoned too many young minds, replacing this indoctrination with a robust curriculum in history and civics that reignites pride in the greatest experiment in human liberty the world has ever known.
In a time when leftist agitators unleash waves of violence — from campus riots to street-level chaos — this isn’t just about dusty textbooks. It’s about arming the next generation with the knowledge to engage in the civil discourse our republic demands, turning down the temperature on a nation fraying at the edges.
‘SPEAK ENGLISH, PERIOD’: GOP BILL AXES INTERPRETER LOOPHOLE IN CITIZENSHIP EXAM
Polling conducted for the America First Policy Institute unambiguously show that Americans get it: We’re a patriotic people, failed by our public education system — and the consequences are tearing at our seams. Americans — 86% of us — agree that a strong America makes the world a better place and 86% see the Stars and Stripes not as a relic of oppression, but as a beacon of patriotism and unity.
George Washington, portrait painting by Constable-Hamilton, 1794. From the New York Public Library. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
It’s a resounding rebuke to the relentless propaganda machine that frames our founding as original sin, our heroes as villains, and our progress as plunder.
Yet, as we stand on the cusp of 250 years, there’s a yawning gap: civic literacy. A slim 23% think schools do an adequate job teaching U.S. history. Nearly all of us, 93%, agree that too many citizens are clueless about the basics.
The proof is in the quiz. When asked to answer 18 questions similar to those on the naturalization test — the verbal gauntlet immigrants must pass to become citizens — 86% of native-born adults scraped by with a passing grade (11 out of 18 correct). We nailed the easy ones: 98% know a president’s term is four years; 97% peg George Washington as our first chief executive. And 93% can explain the flag’s stripes or name “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
LIBERTY AND UNITY: WHAT AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY ASKS OF US TODAY
But dig deeper, and the cracks show. Only 74% can name the three branches of government. Just 69% grasp the president’s core duties. And a shocking 41% wrongly think House members face re-election every four years — that’s the presidential cycle, not theirs. Even foundational stuff trips folks up: Just 65% credit President Thomas Jefferson with penning the Declaration of Independence, and 20% bizarrely inject First Amendment rights into its celebrated trio of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
Unfortunately, 56% flubbed more than five questions of 18 — were it the real naturalization test, with only 10 questions, of which you can miss only four, they’d be in serious danger of failing. This isn’t mere trivia; it’s the scaffolding of self-government. In an era of targeted violence from the radical left — whether Molotov cocktails lobbed at federal buildings or the organized thuggery that turns protests into pogroms — ignorance breeds division.
Without a shared understanding of why America is exceptional, why our Constitution is a bulwark against tyranny, extremists fill the void with rage. Pride in our history isn’t jingoism; it’s the antidote to hatred-fueled anarchy. Fostering reasoned debate based on a shared understanding of civics and history lets us hash out differences without hurling bricks.
NATION’S REPORT CARD GIVES PUBLIC SCHOOLS A FAILING GRADE. PARENTS ARE DEMANDING BETTER
The good news? Americans aren’t just griping — we’re united on fixes. A whopping 82% back a bold idea: Require every high school grad to pass a civics test like the naturalization exam before grabbing that diploma. Imagine it — kids drilled not in grievance studies, but in the genius of federalism, the sacrifices of Valley Forge and the miracle of 1776.
Yet, as we stand on the cusp of 250 years, there’s a yawning gap: civic literacy. A slim 23% think schools do an adequate job teaching U.S. history. Nearly all of us, 93%, agree that too many citizens are clueless about the basics.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
This isn’t nostalgia; it’s necessity. As the left’s street-level fury escalates — a direct outgrowth of their victimhood curriculum — bolstering civic pride will knit us back together. Knowledgeable citizens don’t burn flags; they wave them. They don’t shout down opponents; they out-argue them, as Charlie Kirk modeled. They don’t despair; they build.
Heading into our 250th, let’s demand schools teach truth, not a false shame. Mandate that civics test. And let’s strive to renew an appreciation for America’s promise to secure the blessings of liberty for another quarter-millennium.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM CHUCK DEVORE
