The next few people who join at the Founder level of $300 per year (aka The Elm Society) will all receive a copy of Radical Duke signed by Danielle. We still have a few signed copies left!
We’re off to a great start with our new Democracy 201 feed! Zachary Cote of Thinking Nation outlined a new minimum standard for history education, and we’re sharing an updated version of Peter Levine’s remarks from the National Summit on Civics in Higher Education held at Tufts in April.
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From Zachary Cote:
From Peter Levine:
I’ve read many tributes to the late historian Gordon Wood over the past weeks, not only to his field-defining work but to his character and his influence as a mentor. Andy Craig’s for The UnPopulist celebrates how Wood “Explained the True Meaning of the Revolution to Americans.”
The Youth250: Letters to America initiative is collecting wonderful videos and writing from young people. Emiliana Korin’s letter, “America the Brave,” also appears on the Latino News Network:
What I found, every time, was that service was the answer to the questions I kept asking. Not service as performance. The kind that shows you that your presence matters, that you are not a guest in the project of democracy, but an active contributor to it.
Grace Khan’s essay, “Silence Won’t Save The American Dream, So I’m Speaking Up,” appears on Her Campus:
No one loves America more than those who were willing to leave behind everything they’d ever known to come to America, to pursue the American dream. Why should any of us settle for anything less than that?
And Sara Abdulla’s essay, “Letter to America From the First-Generation of Breaking a Cycle,” appears on The Fulcrum:
For America’s 250th birthday, I picture a recommitment to what the founders sought in the revolution and wrote in our founding texts, even when they couldn’t always live up to it. No kings; dignity and respect for individuals; economic flourishing for all, not just aristocrats.
Hear more from young civic leaders:
Nothing about us without us: youth solutions now, by UP Leaders of Tomorrow Fellowship for the San Antonio Report
DC Teens Imagine the Future They Want from Everyday Democracy with the DC Public Library
Teenagers took over Philadelphia city government for a day. Here’s how it went. By Carly Sitrin for Chalkbeat.
Students Give Hope—For the Country and Its Constitution: Young delegates to the Model Constitutional Convention model the civility and courage needed to tackle America’s toughest constitutional challenges. By Rick LaRue for The Fulcrum.
To Save Our Schools, Trust Young People: Young people have done more than enough to earn our trust. Policy makers not so much. By Kaya Henderson for the Stanford Social Innovation Review on co-creating education systems with students.
What Youth250: Our Declaration Taught Me About Youth Leadership, by Omaer Naeem for the Aspen Institute: “we must foster the intergenerational trust that allows a young person’s internal pull to become a public practice. We must stop asking young people to prove they are capable and start building systems that trust they already are.”
Civic learning in the spotlight:
Americans believe they aren’t being taught enough about democracy:
Engaged citizens built America. Today, civics education is coming back. By Scott Baldauf for the Christian Science Monitor, including quotes from Danielle, Shawn Healy, Nick Longo, and Donna Phillips.
Brookings Institution Discussion on Civics Education and Democracy: Scholars participated in “Brookings on the Hill: Civics at 250” along with Senators King, Lankford, and Kaine.
What do donors expect from nonprofits? Civic education! New survey data shows broad, bipartisan support for nonprofits that educate voters, protect elections, and speak up for democracy. By Miranda Carter and Sarah DiJulio for Candid.
Civic education builds democratic skills for N.J. students, by Aruna Patel for NJ.com on work by the Center for Civic Education and the New Jersey Center for Civic Education
Goals for civic learning
Civil Dialogue Alone Won’t Prepare Students For What’s Next, By Rajiv Vinnakota for Forbes: “We don’t need a generation of polite debaters. We need young people who are prepared to navigate a world where truth is contested and solving problems across differences is vital.”
Want better civic education? Improve college teaching. By Jonathan Zimmerman for The Hill.
At the West Texas A&M Civil Discourse and Civics Education Symposium, pastor and educator Dr. Howie Batson delivered a lecture examining the causes of growing division and incivility in American culture, arguing that civil discourse depends on virtues such as humility, forgiveness, and genuine engagement with those who hold different views.
Stories of success in civic learning:
Sustained Professional Learning is Key to the Successful Implementation of New Civics Curricula: Interconnected evaluation efforts among CIRCLE, DESE, and the One8 Foundation have provided valuable insights into how the Investigating History curriculum has been implemented. By Maya Williams, Sarah Burnham.
From the ballot box to a career: What do we know about the long-term impacts of student civic engagement work? How does the movement for 100% student voter participation shape the next generation’s professional choices? By Jason Vadnos for State of the Student Vote.
How Libraries Are Rebuilding Civic Connection through multipartial facilitation with the Urban Libraries Council, from Everyday Democracy.
Civic education in the states:
Michigan Organizations Boost Voter Engagement and Civic Empowerment, by Hugo Balta for The Fulcrum.
‘Founding Voices’ initiative to bring immersive civics education ahead of America’s 250th anniversary: Florida State University’s Institute for Governance and Civics is launching a $1.7 million program to bring live historical interpreters to middle and high schools statewide.
The American Cornerstone Institute (ACI) announced they are partnering with the state of Arkansas to bring new civics resources to teachers in honor of America’s semiquincentennial. The effort is part of the American Cornerstone Institute’s Little Patriots Initiative. The American Cornerstone Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded by Dr. Ben Carson that advances America’s founding principles of faith, liberty, community, and life.
President’s House exhibits should be restored in time for July 4, another federal judge rules, but only a few days later, Court ruling clears way to replace slavery exhibit in Philadelphia at President’s House Site, handing Trump a win.
As you read in our last roundup, Iowa’s state legislature has mandated a civics requirement in higher ed. At the University of Iowa, that requirement must be fulfilled with courses from the Center for Intellectual Freedom, also created by the state legislature. The Iowa Capital-Dispatch reports on curriculum planning at the center, the Des Moines Register takes a critical view, one state rep celebrates that “Iowa makes history and civics great again,” and KTIV reports on the requirement’s price tag.
Auburn requires faculty to upload syllabi, adds mandatory civics classes: Williesha Morris on AL.com notes that the civics requirement was passed at a Board of Trustees meeting that also saw the faculty senate dissolved.
Civic learning resources
Elizabeth Evans is wrapping up her “Civics in a Year” podcast for Arizona State University’s School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SCETL), to coincide with the 250th.
SHEAR Civics Exchange: A site to connect members of the Society for Historians of the Early American Republic who can speak to your organization, club, or institution about the history that has shaped our civic institutions and civic culture.
The Revolutionary City: A Portal to the Nation’s Founding from the American Philosophical Society is a central hub for students, educators, scholars, and the public to learn about diverse stories of the American Revolution from the perspective of early residents of America’s revolutionary city. Also from APS, check out videos from their recent conference, America’s 1776: Independence and Its Enduring Legacies.
New publications
Public Schooling in America: Measuring Each State’s Commitment to Democratically Governed Schools (2026) from the Network for Public Education.
Upcoming Events
#TogetherTuesday Potlucks & Perspectives: A community story share activity where participants can contribute the community’s story of service to Our American Story, a national storytelling initiative highlighting America’s culture of service for the 250 & Beyond milestone. The National Museum and Center for Service has a toolkit for setting up a gathering in your community.
Designing and Conducting Community-Based Research, from the International Association for Service-Learning and Community Engagement (IARSLCE), June 25 at 10am Eastern.
Reflection, Reckoning, and Recommitment: Student Voices at the 250th from Campus Compact on Thursday, June 25th at 1pm ET
America at 250: A Conversation with Adom Getachew, Aziz Rana, and David Waldstreicher. The panelists will discuss their recent pieces in Boston Review and Dissent on the legacies of the American Revolution at home and abroad, its gutted promises, and how its ideals might still inform our politics of resistance and solidarity today. June 29th at 12:00 PM EDT.
UPEN Question Time: Is Evidence Facing a Trust Crisis? What does it mean to produce evidence that people actually believe? And what responsibility do researchers and knowledge mobilisers have in building that trust? From the Universities Policy Engagement Network, University College London, Tuesday 30 June, 3:30 PM - 5 PM (5 hours ahead of Eastern Time in the US)
The National Assessment Governing Board is looking for civic educators to serve on the NAEP Civics Framework Development Panel. Apply or nominate by June 30.
Independence Week Town Hall: The American Idea at 250, from the National Constitution Center, in partnership with In Pursuit and More Perfect. Featuring Jon Meacham, Colleen Shogan, and Danielle Allen. In person and online, July 1, 6:30 PM Eastern.
Story Seeds: From Personal Narrative to Public Practice, a webinar series from Campus Compact featuring author Megan Lovely. Sessions include “A blueprint for cultivating community,” “A pedagogy of belonging,” “The responsibility and ethics of storytelling in community-engaged scholarship,” and “Growing practices of collective care.” Tuesdays in July.
Our Declaration: “We the People” and the Declaration of Independence, a course for educators from the Civic Learning Institute taught by Danielle Allen, beginning July 8
Teaching Difficult Issues in K-12 Schools-Summer Virtual Workshop Series from Penn State’s Hammel Family Human Rights Initiative, begins July 8
Teaching250: Civics Renewal for America’s 250th and Beyond - from The Center for Civic Education In Partnership with the National Constitution Center, July 9, 7:00-8:30 pm EST
August 8, join the League of Women Voters for a nationwide day of action of civic action in honor of the anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Leagues and partners will lead hundreds of activations across the country centered on civic education, voter engagement, turnout, with an emphasis on young voters and community partnerships. A digital activation is also planned for those who cannot show up in person.