This policy mandates that every child in the United States, from elementary through college, will receive annual, age-appropriate education on the history and values of America, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. These lessons will be designed to build a strong understanding of the foundational principles, rights, and responsibilities that define American citizenship.
The goal is to ensure that students across all grade levels are taught what it means to be an American, with a focus on the nation’s foundational values, its historical development, and the significance of civic engagement. Schools will be required to integrate this curriculum into their annual curriculum, ensuring students gain a deep appreciation for their country’s history, governance, and the rights guaranteed to every citizen. Part of the curriculum would also include how history is relevant to what America faces today, what government leadership is responsible for, and how young people can use their voices to share their own ideas.
In contrast, the framework would also teach world history & values with details on how America is different than other countries.
Schools will not be allowed to opt out of this program, ensuring uniformity across the nation and appreciation for the nation, and ways that they can contribute their own ideas to make America better through reaching out to local or federal leaders to share their ideas, ultimately encouraging young people to get involved hold true to America’s foundational values and rights that cannot be taken from them.
Each state will have the flexibility to enhance the curriculum by adding specific lessons that highlight what makes their own state, with the option to add details on their state’s history & values. State leaders can decide which additional topics best reflect their local history, values, and achievements, allowing for a personalized touch to the national framework.
This curriculum would need to be the stating of facts about American Values, without bias from the teachers to prevent political bias. The American Values Curriculum is not a politically biased program.
By implementing this policy, the American school system will help cultivate informed and engaged citizens in the long run, prepared to contribute to the preservation and growth of the American ideals upon which the United States was founded.
Lastly, the framework would include fun, age appropriate games so that students can practice explaining in their own words what American values are, exercises on how to recognize rules that are not in alignment with the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and verbal prompts the teacher can give students to engage a written response their teacher to agree whether or not the prompts were in alignment with the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Here’s an example of this framework.
1. American Constitution (1787)
The Constitution lays out the structure and principles of the U.S. government. Its core values include:
- Rule of Law: The government and its officials must operate under a system of laws that are applied equally to all citizens.
- Federalism: Power is divided between the national government and state governments, balancing centralized authority with local autonomy.
- Separation of Powers: Government is divided into three branches—Legislative (Congress), Executive (President), and Judicial (Supreme Court)—to prevent the concentration of power and ensure checks and balances.
- Checks and Balances: Each branch of government has the power to check the actions of the others, ensuring that no branch becomes too powerful.
- Popular Sovereignty: The government derives its power from the consent of the governed, with citizens having the right to elect their representatives.
- Individual Rights and Liberties: Though not fully detailed in the original Constitution, the protection of individual freedoms is implicit, later expanded in the Bill of Rights.
2. Bill of Rights (1791)
The Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, emphasizes protecting individual freedoms. Key values include:
- Freedom of Speech, Religion, and Press: The First Amendment guarantees freedoms central to personal expression and democracy.
- Right to Bear Arms: The Second Amendment upholds the right to self-defense and militia organization.
- Due Process and Fair Trials: The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments emphasize fairness in legal proceedings, protecting against unreasonable searches, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, and cruel punishments.
- Equality and Justice: The rights of individuals, including minorities and those accused of crimes, are safeguarded, affirming equality under the law.
- Protection from Tyranny: The Tenth Amendment reserves powers not granted to the federal government to the states or the people, guarding against government overreach.
3. Declaration of Independence (1776)
This document announced the American colonies’ separation from Britain and laid out the philosophical justification for independence. Core values include:
- Equality: “All men are created equal” is a central statement, affirming that no person or class is inherently superior to another.
- Natural Rights: Individuals possess inalienable rights, such as “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness,” which cannot be taken away by the government.
- Government by Consent: Governments are legitimate only when they have the consent of the governed. If a government becomes tyrannical, the people have the right to alter or abolish it.
- Liberty: Personal freedom from oppressive rule is a central value, rejecting monarchy and tyranny in favor of self-governance.
- Right to Revolution: When a government fails to protect fundamental rights, it is not just a right but a duty of the people to overthrow it and establish a new government.
Common Values Across All Three Documents:
- Liberty and Freedom: Emphasizing the protection of individual rights and limiting the power of government.
- Equality: Each document asserts the fundamental equality of individuals under the law.
- Democracy: Government power comes from the people, and they have the right to participate in shaping it.
- Justice: The rule of law and fair treatment of individuals are emphasized to create a just society.
- Responsibility of Government: Governments are accountable to the people, and their purpose is to protect individual rights and serve the common good.
These documents collectively define the foundational principles of the United States, establishing a framework for governance, individual liberties, and the relationship between citizens and their government.