Civics Initiative
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Solving our civic challenges: A Q&A with Andy Smarick
“Today’s political discourse is misleading us about our state of affairs, making us believe that things are far worse than in fact they are,” says Andy Smarick of the Manhattan Institute. He urges localism, among other things, to reestablish Americans’…
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Civic commitments are an intrinsic part of American national holidays
In our minds, we usually link Thanksgiving and other holidays with the things that are most important – gratitude, family, friends and tradition. But there’s more: Underlying each of our shared national holidays is a civic commitment.
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Learning about America through primary sources: The 13th-15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution
The 13th, 14th and 15th amendments were enacted during the post-Civil War period known as Reconstruction (1865-1877). Together, they were an attempt to establish and protect Black Americans’ constitutional and civil rights in the post-slavery period.
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Supreme Court’s power over states was slow to develop
The Supreme Court’s power to invalidate state laws was slow to develop, as shown by what happened after an 1832 ruling that recognized the sovereignty of the Cherokee Nation: The court’s decision was ignored by state and federal officials, whose…
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How Chief Justice Marshall secured Supreme Court’s place in U.S. constitutional order
Nominated in 1801, John Marshall served for 34 years as chief justice of the United States and is widely recognized as the formative figure in the Supreme Court’s early history. Among other things, he succeeded in securing respect for the…
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Learning about America through primary sources: Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a landmark piece of legislation that prohibited discrimination in employment based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin, and ended segregation in public places. The new law put an end to legalized…
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Robust curriculum transparency will build parent-teacher partnership
Just as every college course gives students a syllabus – an outline of topics that will be discussed and the resources that will be used – our K-12 public schools should proactively inform students and parents of the topics and…
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Sutherland Institute testimony in support of improved curriculum transparency
Sutherland Institute supports and will continue to advocate for enhanced curriculum transparency for grades K-12.
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Learning about America through primary sources: Lincoln-Douglas debates
Through historical records like the Lincoln-Douglas debates, we can learn from these periods of history and try to follow the model of their progress while avoiding their missteps.
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Why complete transparency is needed in deciding what to teach in the classroom
Sutherland research makes clear that most parents in Utah still trust most teachers. And most teachers in Utah hold sacred their duty to teach. This parent-teacher partnership is key to the long-term solution. Complete transparency will strengthen this partnership.