Teaching history and civics to Generation Z

OPINION:

A shocking number of young people have a positive view of the mastermind behind the terrorist attacks against America that took place on Sept. 11, 2001. A recent poll by the Daily Mail showed nearly 1 in 5 voters aged 18 to 29 had a relatively positive view of Osama bin Laden. The poll also found that 3 in 10 of those surveyed believe the views of the global terrorist were a “force for good.”

How can so many members of Generation Z believe that anything connected to the evil behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks could be a “force for good”? His plans led to the deaths of 2,977 innocent people at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Virginia, and in southwestern Pennsylvania.

How could we have gotten to this point? Students are not being taught American history and basic civics.

Of middle school students tested, only 13% scored proficient in history, and only 22% were proficient in civics on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Regarding U.S. history, 40% of the students scored below a basic level of knowledge — a decline of 34% since 2018.

It does not get better in higher education. The material taught to college students in introductory American history courses is insufficient and inadequate to encourage good citizenship.

We are eager to understand how we arrived at this crossroads. A good place to start is a report from Arizona State University’s Center for American Institutions. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, former Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and I helped commission the Study of American History in Our Universities.

More than 40% of the classes focused on post-1877 did not mention the terms “prosperity,” “freedom” or “religion.” In the pre-1877 group, 80% of the classes spent only two full class periods discussing the Constitution’s contents, writing, and history. In comparison, many classes focused on opposing colonialism and framing the period in a negative light.

It is no wonder that many young people have a negative view of the founding of America when so many courses focus only on the negative aspects of our Founding Fathers. We should teach all our history — the good, the bad and the ugly.

Without a doubt, the period of slavery was a dark time in the American story. But equal or greater emphasis should be paid to what was done to overcome it. What was spelled out in the Declaration of Independence has been part of our path toward a more perfect nation.

The reaction of many college students to the terrorist attacks by Hamas on innocent Israeli citizens seems to be yet another sign of the failure to teach objective history. Many of the current protesters couldn’t even articulate which river they are talking about when they chant “from the river to the sea,” because they know little about the region and the thousands of years of history in the Middle East.

Similarly, those who truly understand the history of communism see the false promises that lead to oppression and poverty for the masses. It is the difference between reading about Marxism and understanding it.

Many colleges and universities have reduced or even dropped history requirements. Few students are majoring in history. Worst of all, many courses focus more on ideological themes than objective history. For all the talk about diversity, there is little talk of thought.

Earlier this year, a bill proposed in the North Carolina legislature would require every graduate at a state institution of higher education to complete a three-credit hour course in American history and government. It included reading important documents like the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Gettysburg Address. Similar action has been taken in Arizona.

When the proposal was announced, nearly 700 professors at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill signed a letter of opposition to the legislation.

Who could be against a requirement to read these fundamental documents? Well, if the goal is to paint a negative picture about the founding of our nation, these “educators” certainly don’t want students reading the founding documents of our beloved republic.

One recommendation from the Study of American History in Our Universities is to urge states to adopt an “Educational Transparency Act” that would require higher education institutions to provide easily available course syllabuses, student enrollment figures, occupational outcomes, and other data.

The authors also recommend that administrations should “insist on faculty searches with broad areas of expertise not restricted to candidates focused solely on racial, ethnic, and sexual orientation, or gender identity.”

A good start on the path toward saving America is teaching real history again. Those who understand history are unlikely to repeat the negative parts.

• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and served as the 45th governor of Wisconsin.