A shocking percentage of young Americans (yes, even graduates of supposedly elite colleges) know little about our civic institutions. Few high schools bother teaching about civics any longer, and most of our colleges are similarly remiss. “Diversity” courses are mandatory, but students don’t need to take much relating to our history and government.
Responding to this lamentable situation, a bill has been introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly called the “Reclaiming College Education on America’s Constitutional Heritage” Act — REACH for short. This bill would require students in North Carolina public colleges and universities to take at least one course on American government or history to graduate. In today’s Martin Center article, Shannon Watkins looks at the bill.
She writes:
To meet the course criteria, institutions must require students to read the following historical documents:
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The Constitution of the United States of America
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The Declaration of Independence
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The Emancipation Proclamation
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At least five essays from the Federalist Papers, as determined by the instructor
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Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
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The Gettysburg Address
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The North Carolina State Constitution
Watkins delves into the objections that have been raised against the bill by the education lobby — such as that it isn’t “diverse” enough and that it amounts to meddling by the General Assembly in matters that are best left up to the “experts.”
She doesn’t think the objections carry much weight: “It’s clear that the arguments raised against the NC REACH Act do not hold water. As Rep. Kidwell observed, the state’s governing body has a vested interest in producing knowledgeable and civically responsible citizens. A state that ensures that every degree-seeking student is well grounded in the country’s history and principles isn’t ‘micromanaging,’ it’s fulfilling one of its most basic duties.”