To do this you first have to start teaching real American History, and make it exciting. Don’t be afraid of the warts and mistakes we’ve made along the way either. America and our freedoms have been a work in progress ever since the early days of colonial America.
From America’s 1st Freedom: https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2017/7/6/teaching-the-history-of-freedom-to-a-new-generation/
by Darren LaSorte
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Every Independence Day is a day for me to step away from the distractions of our busy lives and personally reflect upon the truly amazing history of our country. I think about the ragtag bunch of brave souls who stood up against the most powerful military in the world, motivated by little more than a mere chance of possibly securing a subjective concept generally known as “freedom.” The degree of personal sacrifice under some of the worst circumstances imaginable is virtually impossible to fully appreciate from our generation’s comfy, secure perspective.
My thinking meanders through the years and gets to the big turning points like World War II and the rise and fall of the Soviet Union. It’s impossible not to wonder how horrible the world would be today if not for American resolve to protect this hard-won freedom and to stop the spread of evil and tyranny in other places whenever possible. Of course, it still all goes back to what Thomas Paine described as those “times that try men’s souls” during our fight for independence. Without those men rising to the challenge, there would have been no America to ride to the rescue on so many occasions.
While this period of great celebration of our independence inspires me, it also reminds me of what is likely my single greatest concern: The general lack of education with regard to American history by many who reside in our country today is like a cancer spreading throughout a body, corrupting the integrity of essential life systems.
If you randomly stop 20-something-year-olds on the streets today and ask if they know anything about the contributions of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison or Benjamin Franklin, chances are good that in many cases you will get nothing more than a blank stare between nervous glances at whatever social media distracts them on their mobile phone that day.
Fortunately for all of us, Jefferson was a student of history like few others. That helped him form the foundation of the greatest and freest country the world has ever known. He knew what had been tried in the past and what had failed. America needed something new. He also wrote, “If a nation expects to be both ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Our growing ignorance should be a warning siren blaring in our ears. A terrible storm is on the horizon.
Continue reading at: https://www.americas1stfreedom.org/articles/2017/7/6/teaching-the-history-of-freedom-to-a-new-generation/
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