[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book II)]
[September 17, 2002]
[Pages 1599-1601]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
[[Page 1599]]
Remarks Announcing the Teaching American History and Civic Education
Initiatives
September 17, 2002
Thank you all 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.
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.
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.
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
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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 reasons 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 national 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
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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 100 of America's most
important documents from the National Archives to classrooms and
communities across the country, to 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.
Thank you all for coming.
Note: The President spoke at 8:42 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
House. In his remarks, he referred to historian David McCullough; and
Bruce Cole, Chairman, National Endowment for the Humanities.