National Archives and the National History Day
September 2002
To commemorate the 215th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Constitution, President Bush last month unveiled a three-pronged initiative to increase American students' and the general public's understanding of American history. One part - the National Endowment for the Humanities' "We the People" project - was described in last week's Gadfly. (See http://www.edexcellence.net/gadfly/issue.cfm?issue=40#590.) The second part of the initiative is "Our Documents," a special web site (located at www.OurDocuments.gov) launched by the National Archives and intended, says the President, to "bring one hundred of America's most important documents from the National Archives to classrooms and communities across the country." The website boasts a list of "Milestone Documents" that include classics like the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the Articles of Confederation (1777), as well as less celebrated documents such as the Treaty of Paris (1783). There are more modern additions as well, including Executive Order 10730: Desegregation of Central High School (1957) and the Test Ban Treaty (1963), with many more to come. But this project isn't just for history buffs; it also offers students awards and scholarships, provides supplemental information and lesson plans for teachers, and sponsors competitions, contests and discussions about important events in American history. See http://www.OurDocuments.gov.
NB: The third component of the President's initiative to combat historical illiteracy is a "We the People" Forum to be convened by the White House in February 2003. It is intended to address ways to improve the teaching of American history and civics in schools and universities. According to President Bush, "the primary responsibility for teaching history and civics rests with our elementary and secondary schools, and they've got to do their job. The federal government can help." Hopefully the forum - which will take shape in the coming months - will rally educators to strengthen their students' understanding and appreciation of U.S. history.
