As the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence approaches, history teachers across the United States are grappling with how to present the founding document honestly while navigating a politically divided climate. Among them is Karalee Wong Nakatsuka, a teacher at First Avenue Middle School in Arcadia, California, who treasures two T-shirts: one celebrating the Declaration's signing, the other from Ford's Theatre, where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated after the Civil War. Nakatsuka, whose students are mostly Asian, notes that the Declaration's promise that 'all men are created equal' was not extended to African Americans for nearly a century.
Teachers like Nakatsuka and Matthew Vriesman of East Kentwood High School in Michigan aim to challenge students to question who the Declaration was originally for and who it serves today. Vriesman sees the 250th as an ideal moment for deep reflection on the nation's founding values. 'High school history class is an incredible opportunity,' he said. 'This is the last time where people in this country are forced to sit and think and write about the founding values.'
The need for such lessons is underscored by recent surveys: only 47% of adults know why the 13 Colonies declared independence, and nearly one in three Gen Z respondents displayed 'dismissive detachment' from democracy, with low confidence in government and higher support for authoritarianism. Meanwhile, a survey by iCivics found that over half of teachers now find teaching basic civics concepts difficult, with nearly 60% fearing backlash for teaching the 'wrong way.' About 20% have experienced actual backlash, and more than a third have altered or removed lessons due to the climate.
'Civics teachers are not OK, and that stinks, no matter what year it is,' said Emma Humphries, chief education officer of iCivics. 'But it's really awful when we should be in a more celebratory mood.' Despite the pressures, eight in ten teachers still prioritise the Revolutionary period and founding documents, with the founders, Declaration, and Revolution ranking as their favourite historical topics.
