A quiet town in southern Michigan boasts The College Baptist Church as a Romanesque architecture-styled building. Standing near the church is a small private college with a 400-acre campus that caters to 1,400 students. Among the campus lies the “crown jewel” of Central Hall, a stunning Victorian-style building constructed in the late 19th-century. Almost picturesque.
This academic institution, tucked away in a leafy rural town, made headlines when it released the “1776 Curriculum” in July of last year, a resource of American history and civics materials for kindergarten through 12th grade.
For many parents and educators, who were yearning for a traditional education fair to the core of America’s heritage, the arrival of this program was a relief. But, for skeptics, it may have been seen as the latest attempt to continue former President Donald Trump’s push for a “pro-American” education.
Hillsdale College, which describes itself as “a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college,” delivered an extraordinary collection comprising 2,425 pages of lesson guidance for educators, assessments for students, and a wealth of material for homeschooling parents.
What does the 1776 Curriculum include?
The 45th President, during his last few weeks in office, appointed members to the “1776 Commission.” This advisory committee, led by Larry P. Arnn, Hillsdale College’s president, aimed to support the former President’s vision for a “patriotic education.”
However, the Biden administration disbanded this panel, but they continued to meet nonetheless. Hillsdale’s assistant provost for K-12 education, Dr. Kathleen O’Toole, commented on the extensive program in a press release to RealClearEducation in July of last year:
Our curriculum was created by teachers and professors—not activists, not journalists, not bureaucrats…It comes from years of studying America, its history, and its founding principles, not some slap-dash journalistic scheme to achieve a partisan political end through students. It is a truly American education.
As of today, the biased opponents to the curriculum have only succeeded in tarnishing America’s historical challenges, triumphs (continued)
This post originally appeared on The Blue State Conservative.
