As students get ready to go back to school with fresh notebooks and sharpened pencils, let the first lesson of the school year come from the 40th president of the United States, Ronald Reagan. In his Farewell Address in 1989, Reagan spoke of a resurgence in national pride that returned during his presidency, which he called a “new patriotism.”
Yet Reagan also warned that this revival would not mean much unless it was grounded in thoughtfulness and knowledge. What the outgoing president hoped for was “an informed patriotism” for the country’s citizens, where the teaching of history would be based not on what’s in fashion but on what is important.
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Reagan asked a simple question: Are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?
This question is as relevant today as it was back in 1989. According to a recent Gallup poll, American pride is at a record low; civics test scores among eighth graders declined for the first time in recorded history; and all of this is occurring in the shadow of the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, which faces its own criticisms.
Yet not all is dire. Reagan’s warning more than thirty years ago has been heeded at this critical time.
The 250th anniversary of the founding of our nation provides a special opportunity to celebrate our common heritage as Americans, and many civics organizations are already in planning mode for the big birthday.
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello and More Perfect have teamed up to create the Declaration Book Club, a three-part reading and discussion tool kit designed for learners of all ages to delve into the enduring principles of the Declaration of Independence. The National Constitution Center plans to open two new exhibits on America’s founding and the separation of powers. iCivics is hosting a Constitution Day symposium in Washington, D.C., in September, and countless other civics organizations and cultural institutions will celebrate in their own special ways, too.
My own organization, the Jack Miller Center, which is dedicated to reinvigorating education in America’s founding principles and history, will be hosting our 2026 National Summit on Civic Education from May 18 to 19, 2026, on Independence Mall in Philadelphia. The Summit will bring together civic educators, thought leaders, and business and civil society leaders in conversation around the Declaration of Independence — and its extraordinary relevance in American education today.
The National Summit on Civic Education will begin with a naturalization ceremony for brand-new American citizens, in partnership with the National Constitution Center. Over two days, the summit will be a celebration of our founding ideals and their power to bring us together as citizens across differences.
Author, former presidential speechwriter, and Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan will be the featured plenary speaker at the opening lunch, and two discussion-based breakouts on the Declaration of Independence will be led by scholars Danielle Allen and Diana Schaub, as well as Colleen Shogan, former Archivist of the United States, and political scientist Lucas Morel. Finally, historians Allen Guelzo and Beverly Gage will speak at a larger breakout on a unifying national story. Most importantly, the National Summit on Civic Education will celebrate what all Americans share, whatever their background: our highest aspirations and ideals of liberty, equality, and justice for all.
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In his Farewell Address, Ronald Reagan feared the eradication of the American memory would ultimately result in an erosion of the American spirit. He hoped that the country would go back to the basics: more attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual.
Civics and cultural organizations have taken up Reagan’s torch to carry in pursuit of a greater national civic purpose as the nation heads to this momentous occasion. A more informed patriotism can reaffirm Americans’ love and appreciation of the country and its institutions, and a deeper understanding of what makes America special — its freedoms, rights, and responsibilities for all to enjoy.
Hans Zeiger is president of the Jack Miller Center.