Commentary: On Independence Day, Virginians gain a new resource for civics, history education

Today, the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History and Civics (JMC) is not only celebrating American independence, but we are also celebrating a historic union, one long in the making. The JMC today joins its longtime partner, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC), to create an innovative study center that will revolutionize civics education in Virginia and beyond. This rare union of two private non–profit organizations empowers history and civics to tell a more complete American story, one that is desperately needed today.

History answers the “why” of civics. Why do we elect representatives in America’s form of democracy? Why does the Constitution limit the power of government and promise equal protection? And civics answers the “why does it matter now” of history. Why is the American government said to be “of the people,” and what does that mean today? Why is it essential to know my responsibilities and rights under the U.S. Constitution, and what are they?

In just three years, we will commemorate 250 years of American independence. This milestone moment offers an extraordinary opportunity to reflect on the road behind us and on what lies ahead. It will be a once-in-a-generation chance to look deeply at our past and invest with great purpose in our future. But at this moment, the nation is marked by a lack of civil discourse in our public arenas and an all-time low in the knowledge and understanding of our shared history, our responsibilities, and our rights as Americans.

A recent report on civics awareness issued by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center noted that less than half of U.S. adults could name all three branches of government. One in four could not identify even one. Only one in four U.S. adults could name a single right identified in the First Amendment. Recent findings from the U.S. Department of Education showed that student proficiency in civics and in history has declined to levels unseen since testing began in the 1990s.

We, the people, have a real obligation to do better to graduate students who understand our system of representative democracy and how to participate in it. Beyond politics, ideologies, and division, we have a real duty to teach students about America’s ongoing pursuit of all that is promised in the Declaration of Independence and the wending journey to a more perfect union. This transfer of knowledge from one generation to the next must not be taken for granted. It requires purposeful teaching and is crucial to the ongoing health and success of our nation. Fortunately, civics is required in Virginia public schools, but there is great disparity as to how much time is devoted to the topic, how much money is allocated, and how much importance it is given in classrooms.  

The John Marshall Center works alongside schools and educators to bridge this civics education gap. Justice in the Classroom is JMC’s signature civics education program, where students learn everything from lessons on America’s judicial systems and civic responsibility to the Constitution to Chief Justice John Marshall’s legacy.

We just completed two pilot sessions at John Marshall High School, where students learned abstract concepts through real-world exercises. Justice in the Classroom students might discover what “taxation without representation” feels like when a pop quiz is announced, and they are “required” to purchase a special pencil from the teacher to take it. (They will most definitely share a collective sigh of relief when they realize there is no pop quiz.) The Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause might be explored through a paper boat-making contest, where only half of the class receives the assembly instructions. And students use newly acquired mediation and mock trial skills to hotly debate which fast food restaurant is best before moving on to more complex subjects such as lifetime appointments of Supreme Court justices.

Justice in the Classroom creates a civics lab of sorts where students can test ideas and formulate solutions and opinions. It gives students the gift of mental space, away from headlines and the viewpoints of others, to learn something about America’s system of government, how we got here, how to effect change, and how to form a community in the process. When taught in a non-political manner, we see civics and history bring people together.

By joining the VMHC, JMC gains tremendous new scope and scale in the delivery of these and other rich civics resources such as Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality and Marbury to Brown, an exploration of judicial review. In fact, JMC’s entire civics portfolio will serve as a core pillar of the VMHC’s multi-year 250th commemoration. Together, we will host civics institutes, conferences with Virginia’s law schools, and public history forums about the road to and from the Revolution. We believe that the American experiment in self-government relies on civic-ready citizens to function well, and it is our aim to ensure students of all ages are not only equipped to participate in our democracy but are eager to engage in it.

Today, as we commemorate America’s 247th anniversary and look ahead to its 250th, we invite you to join us in creating a “civic-ready” Virginia.  In 1776, Virginian Thomas Jefferson called America’s pursuit of independence a “common cause for all.” Education must be that rallying cry today. And right now, we have the hope of finally fulfilling it for all.

Joni Albrecht is the Director of the John Marshall Center for Constitutional History & Civics, a study center of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Albrecht earned a bachelor’s degree in applied advertising and public relations from the University of Central Missouri, a graduate certificate in public history from the National Institute of American History & Democracy, and will complete an M.A. in American Studies at William & Mary this month. 

by Guest Column, Virginia Mercury

By Joni Albrecht

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