FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, September 17, 2002
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The White House - USA Freedom Corps
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Remarks by the President on Teaching American History and Civic Education Initiative |
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Multimedia |
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Rose Garden
8:42 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.)
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 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 reason 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 nation 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 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 one
hundred of America's most important documents from the National Archives to
classrooms and communities across the country, 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. (Applause.)
END 8:54 A.M. EDT
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