“Educate and inform the whole mass of the people . . . They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.”
THOMAS JEFFERSON
OUR MISSION
The mission of the Educated Citizens Project is to provide educational enhancement to secure a future of informed, insightful, and civilly engaged citizens. To secure this goal, we will equip professional and lay educators with instructional resources designed to clarify the ideals and practicalities of the American experience for students learning to participate in self-governance within our framework of a democratic republic.
OUR GOALS
To develop in this generation of learners a true understanding of history.
This includes U.S. history and its context in world history. Citizens of all ages will develop intellectual knowledge and confidence to maintain and preserve our form of self-government, as well as, our economic way of life.
To “teach the truth first.”
Which truths? Those that are self-evident. Most of those self-evident truths are described in the Declaration of Independence and testified to by the US Constitution. Why these principles first? So that the general public can recognize a lie when they hear it and have the discernment to realize when they are being deceived.
To examine questions about the American experience and the role citizens have in shaping that experience:
Is the United States the “exception” among the community of nations? What are the benefits to, and responsibilities of, citizens who live in this country? Are these benefits and responsibilities expected of citizens in other nations?
WHO WE ARE
The Educated Citizens Project is a coalition of professional and lay educators of U.S. History, U.S. government, and traditional civics with a passion for teaching students of all ages about American Exceptionalism and civil self-governance.
WHAT WE VALUE
The Educated Citizen as essential to preserving liberty.
A fundamental understanding of self-governance and the institutional roles of preserving self-government for future generations.
Understanding history as crucial to ensuring our future.
Practicing politics with integrity as foundational to an Educated Citizen.
WHAT WE’LL DO
The project will be an ongoing effort to ensure sustainability and long-term effectiveness of educating children about the truth of our country’s unique history, the Founders’ views of government, all the while preserving the English legacy of freedom and rule of law while passing it forward with an expanding scope for the generations to come.
HOW WE’LL DO IT
We will create a readily accessible platform of lesson plans and materials designed to meet our current need to teach an objective, balanced, and meaningful framework of the American experience in history, economics, government, and civics education.
WHY WE’RE HERE
In his 1989 Farewell Address, Ronald Reagan warned us that we had not institutionalized the American patriotism we regained during the 1980’s. Today, children no longer hear the stories of great leaders who strived against tremendous odds to realize a vision of freedom for all. Instead, children learn that all American achievement resulted from a poisonous seed that needs to be rooted out. America is at a tipping point – either we inform our children about the methods of seeking truth through an objective lens of history and societal study, or we cease to develop Educated Citizens capable of engaging in the continual strife necessary to promote and preserve liberty for all.