As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American founding, we must confront the hard truth that democracies are not self-executing. They require constant tending by informed, engaged citizens who understand both the machinery and the meaning of self-government.
But today, one in three Americans cannot name the three branches of government or what they do. In this “civics season” — the 16 days between the newest federal holiday (Juneteenth) and the oldest (Fourth of July) — we should commit to a civic education moonshot.
While there is no right to an education in the Constitution, every state constitution —including the Massachusetts Constitution, which preceded the federal Constitution by a decade — makes the education of its citizens for participation in our democracy its primary mission. Despite this, the nation has collectively drifted from preparing young and older Americans alike as engaged citizens. A meager 13 and 22 percent of students score proficient in U.S. history and civics, respectively. Surveys show more than 70 percent of adults fail a civic literacy quiz on topics related to the basic functions of our democracy.
We’ve seen this movie before. Several decades ago, alarm bells rang over poor performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. In response, the U.S. marshaled public resources, implemented innovative teaching practices and dramatically improved STEM achievement. It was a national effort with support ranging from school principals to the president. Today, civics and history need the same urgent national attention and investment.
Rebuilding civics education requires a back-to-basics approach. First, we must ensure all students have a strong grasp of core democratic knowledge: the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the operation of federalism and separation of powers. Instruction in these fundamentals — the rules of the game — is necessary groundwork for informed civic participation and the maintenance of our system.
But a civics renaissance should not stop there. Schools must teach about the virtues of pluralism, productive disagreement and critical thinking. We are teaching a generation to code; we should also teach them to decode news and information. What’s more, civics education should not begin and end with one course — it should also provide inspiring inquiries across the curriculum, kindergarten through college, to link learning with practical civic applications.
Reductionism is the enemy of an educated democratic citizenry. Students should understand the full context of our history, drawing on original records and encouraging lively debates. Discussions could include the scope of various levels of government, the merits of the social safety net, the roles of civil society and individuals in addressing key challenges, the disparate impacts on different populations and America’s place in the world.
Problem-solving is another key skill for a healthy democratic polity, helping students identify challenges, marshal relevant facts, analyze solutions from various perspectives, debate vigorously and come to consensus. They should learn to respect both majority rule and minority dissent. If we do not provide young people with key examples from history of how leaders transcended differences to effect change, we cannot reasonably expect them to engage in productive and rational action as citizens.
That is why history education must accompany civics education. We mustn’t shy away from the study of American history, despite loud voices claiming the discipline has fallen victim to political indoctrination and ideological excess. A 2024 study by the American Historical Association shows that K-12 history teachers overwhelmingly prefer nonpartisan sources for their classes, provided by institutions such as the Library of Congress and National Archives. The polarizing national narrative is out of touch with the reality on the ground.
The Educating for American Democracy Roadmap with inquiry-based content was supported by administrations from both parties and provides a framework for states and localities to upgrade their history and social studies curricula. Recently, private and public universities across the country have increased civic course requirements and incentives and created centers and schools focused on civic thought and practice, reaffirming higher education’s role in developing the next generation of democratic leaders and history and civics teachers in K-12. And a network of leaders and institutions committed to history and civic education has aligned around clear goals, targets and plans to meet them like never before.
The work has begun. Now it’s time to step on the gas. As America approaches its 250th birthday, we must reinvest in the muscle memory of self-government, starting with the next generation of democratic citizens to renew the promise of our union.
Colleen J. Shogan was the 11th Archivist of the United States and a former senior executive at the Library of Congress. She is a senior advisor at More Perfect and a senior fellow in civics education at Stand Together. John Bridgeland is the CEO of More Perfect and was a director of the White House Domestic Policy Council for President George W. Bush.
