S. Con. Res. 129 Agreed to July 10, 2000

One Hundred Sixth Congress

of the

United States of America

AT THE SECOND SESSION

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Monday,

the twenty-fourth day of January, two thousand

Concurrent Resolution

Whereas basic knowledge of United States history is essential to

full and informed participation in civic life and to the larger

vibrancy of the American experiment in self-government;

Whereas basic knowledge of the past serves as a civic glue, binding

together a diverse people into a single Nation with a common

purpose;

Whereas citizens who lack knowledge of United States history will

also lack an understanding and appreciation of the democratic

principles that define and sustain the Nation as a free people,

such as liberty, justice, tolerance, government by the consent

of the governed, and equality under the law;

Whereas a recent Roper survey done for the American Council

of Trustees and Alumni reveals that the next generation of American leaders and citizens is in danger of losing America’s civic

memory;

Whereas the Roper survey found that 81 percent of seniors at

elite colleges and universities could not answer basic high school

level questions concerning United States history, that scarcely

more than half knew general information about American democracy and the Constitution, and that only 22 percent could identify

the source of the most famous line of the Gettysburg Address;

Whereas many of the Nation’s colleges and universities no longer

require United States history as a prerequisite to graduation,

including 100 percent of the top institutions of higher education;

Whereas 78 percent of the Nation’s top colleges and universities

no longer require the study of any form of history;

Whereas America’s colleges and universities are leading bellwethers

of national priorities and values, setting standards for the whole

of the United States education system and sending signals to

students, teachers, parents, and public schools about what every

educated citizen in a democracy must know;

Whereas many of America’s most distinguished historians and

intellectuals have expressed alarm about the growing historical

illiteracy of college and university graduates and the consequences

for the Nation; and

Whereas the distinguished historians and intellectuals fear that

without a common civic memory and a common understanding

of the remarkable individuals, events, and ideals that have shaped

the Nation, people in the United States risk losing much of

what it means to be an American, as well as the ability to

fulfill the fundamental responsibilities of citizens in a democracy:

Now, therefore, be it
S. Con. Res. 129—2

Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that—

(1) the historical illiteracy of America’s college and university graduates is a serious problem that should be addressed

by the Nation’s higher education community;

(2) boards of trustees and administrators at institutions

of higher education in the United States should review their

curricula and add requirements in United States history;

(3) State officials responsible for higher education should

review public college and university curricula in their States

and promote requirements in United States history;

(4) parents should encourage their children to select institutions of higher education with substantial history requirements

and students should take courses in United States history

whether required or not; and

(5) history teachers and educators at all levels should

redouble their efforts to bolster the knowledge of United States

history among students of all ages and to restore the vitality

of America’s civic memory.

Attest:

Secretary of the Senate.

Attest:

Clerk of the House of Representatives.