Have you noticed a decreasing sense of patriotism among younger Americans today?
Have you seen the polls suggesting that they are increasingly attracted to socialism and other ideas destructive of liberty?
To me, this indicates that we are failing to provide young people with a proper education—or that others are succeeding in giving them an improper education.
It is a simple fact: since the 1960s, the Left has increasingly misused the tools of education to undermine traditional patriotism, with the ultimate goal of transforming American government and society.
They have done this primarily by peddling a false and dishonest account of America’s history. The most recent example of this is The New York Times’ “1619 Project.”
According to the controversial “1619 Project,” slavery rather than freedom is the central and defining idea of the American experience. And the project’s stated intention is to inject this poisonous falsehood into the curricula of American K-12 schools.
READ: What is the 1619 Project?
It would be easy to be discouraged by the Left’s successes in pushing so many false narratives about our nation’s history.
But we must not be discouraged. Instead, we must fight back with the truth—which is what Hillsdale College has been doing for more than 175 years.
In recent decades, Hillsdale College has redoubled its efforts to engage the Left on the battlefield of American education. As a college dedicated in 1844 to defending the “principles of civil and religious liberty,” Hillsdale is well equipped to do so.
We do this through vast educational outreach efforts like Imprimis, the Barney Charter School Initiative, and the Kirby Center for Constitutional Studies and Citizenship in Washington, D.C.
One of our recent major outreach efforts has been to produce and promote free online courses on topics like the Constitution, American history, and free market economics.
Already more than 2.6 million Americans have enrolled in one or more of Hillsdale’s free online courses, and generous contributions from friends and supporters like you have allowed us to launch additional free online courses.
In fact, early last year, we released a new online course that directly counters the “1619 Project.” This new Hillsdale online course, promoted and offered free of charge nationwide, is called “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope.”
Taught by Dr. Wilfred McClay, this course explores the history of America as a land of hope founded on high principles. In presenting the great triumphs and achievements of our nation’s past, as well as the shortcomings and failures, it offers a broad and unbiased study of the kind essential to the cultivation of intelligent patriotism.
As James Madison wrote, only “a well-instructed people” can be “permanently a free people.” I encourage you to enroll today at this secure link: “The Great American Story.”
Hillsdale is able to offer “The Great American Story: A Land of Hope” free of charge to any citizen wishing to learn, including younger Americans. Go ahead and invite a friend, neighbor, child, or grandchild to learn and love America as a land of hope.
–Bill Gray | Hillsdale College