History Education Concerns Us All

John W. Carlin

On 17 September 2002, I was honored to join President George W. Bush, historian David McCullough, and other national leaders in the Rose Garden of the White House as the President announced a nationwide civics initiative in which the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) will play a key role.

The project--a collaboration between NARA, National History Day, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the USA Freedom Corps--is named Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service. It is our hope that Our Documents will encourage students, teachers, and the general public to explore our nation's history and the impact it has on our society today. In the months since President Bush's announcement, this project has taken root and is gaining momentum, and I want to take this opportunity to share with you the philosophy behind it, as well as our aspirations for it.

As you may know, Our Documents revolves around one-hundred milestone documents drawn primarily from the thousands of public laws, Supreme Court decisions, inaugural speeches, treaties, constitutional amendments, and other documents held by NARA that have influenced the course of U.S. history. All of the documents have helped shape our national character and reflect not only our successes and failures, but also our diversity, our unity, and our commitment as a nation to continue our work toward forming "a more perfect union."

The complete list of milestone documents with brief explanations, a discussion of key themes in the documents, a timeline putting the documents in chronological perspective, a teacher's sourcebook, and guidelines for participating in student and teacher National History Day competitions is available at the project's web site at <http://www.ourdocuments.gov/>.

We repeatedly hear from teachers that they do not want or need new curricula; they need fresh, compelling ways to present the curriculum they already have. Our Documents was designed with this in mind. Throughout the current school year, three documents are being introduced on the web site each week. We want Americans to read these milestone documents, consider their meaning, discuss them, and decide which are the most significant and why. In this way, we seek to promote not only the study of history, but also the consideration of the importance of these documents to citizens today.

Later this year, we plan to conduct a national vote, asking citizens to name and explain their choice of ten milestone documents that they feel are the most important to our nation. Voters will not simply check a box, they will be encouraged to explore the historical meaning of each document, and consider the weight their vote holds. Through this public vote--and by giving people more insight into the documents that have shaped our country's history--we hope to spark discussion and debate on the values and ideals of our democracy over the last 226 years.

I am proud that NARA is playing a part in this exciting national educational initiative, and I know that our partners share this feeling. It is no secret that Americans in general, and American students in particular, are sadly lacking in their knowledge of their country's history and their ability to relate historical facts and events to larger societal trend. This concern is the very reason we jumped at the chance to participate with the White House in this initiative, for I believe the opportunities to teach American history and to instill an interest and respect for the people and events that have shaped our country are truly boundless. The more energy and focus we have behind our shared interests, the more likely we are to succeed, and there are plenty of opportunities for all of us.

Another reason I am pleased about the White House's focus on history and civics education is that it illustrates not only that our nation's leaders share our interests, but also that they support our efforts to present history without promoting any particular political agenda or historical interpretation. At NARA, we provide access to the original documents of history and encourage people to study this evidence of our government for themselves and draw their own conclusions. Similarly, our partner, National History Day is a highly acclaimed academic program that promotes historical study by encouraging students and teachers to ask questions of history, conduct research, and analyze evidence to draw conclusions.

Our Documents carries no agenda other than to spark interest in our past; encourage analysis, discussion and debate, and foster a sense of patriotism and pride in our country. I believe this is a winning proposition all around.

If you have not already done so, I invite you to take a look at the web site for the Our Documents initiative.