IV 
111TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 275 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that all public elemen-
tary schools and public secondary schools should display a copy of the 
Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 23, 2009 
Mr. MURPHY of Connecticut submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on Education and Labor 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
all public elementary schools and public secondary 
schools should display a copy of the Declaration of Inde-
pendence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. 
Whereas the Declaration of Independence expresses the prin-
ciples of American government that provide the basis for 
our constitutional order and the Constitution and the Bill 
of Rights provide the framework for American law and 
governmental organization; 
Whereas the Founding Fathers wrote these documents in 
order to establish the rights and limitations of Govern-
ment and to ensure the American people such treasured 
liberties as freedom of speech, due process, and equality 
under the law; 
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•HRES 275 IH 
Whereas civil knowledge promotes political participation and 
support for democratic values; 
Whereas 67 percent of adult Americans believe that ‘‘it is ab-
solutely essential for ordinary Americans to have a de-
tailed knowledge of their constitutional rights and free-
doms’’; 
Whereas, in contrast, only 16 percent of adult Americans be-
lieve they have a detailed knowledge of the Constitution; 
Whereas a National Center for Education Statistics (here-
after in this preamble referred to as the ‘‘NCES’’) study 
asserted that an eighth grade student functioning at the 
most basic level ‘‘should be able to identify fundamental 
principles and values of American democracy, such as 
federalism, the separation of powers, checks and bal-
ances, government by the consent of the governed, and 
individual rights’’; 
Whereas such study also asserted that such student ‘‘should 
understand that the Declaration of Independence and the 
United States Constitution including the Bill of Rights 
and other Amendments are sources of these ideas’’ and 
that these ‘‘students should be able to explain why it is 
important that citizens share the values and principles 
expressed in the nation’s core documents, and they 
should understand functions of elections, political parties, 
and interest groups in a democratic society’’; 
Whereas one out of every three eighth grade students cannot 
identify and explain such basic constitutional principles, 
and only 22 percent of eighth grade students are actually 
proficient in their understanding of the Constitution; 
Whereas the NCES therefore has called upon State and Fed-
eral policymakers to both ‘‘increase the amount of federal 
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•HRES 275 IH 
funding made available to states for civic education’’ and 
to ‘‘promote civic responsibility and engagement through 
actions and words’’; 
Whereas the NCES further requested in their report that 
Congress supply students with ‘‘materials about demo-
cratic institutions’’; 
Whereas, according to the Carnegie Corporation, ‘‘40 State 
constitutions presently mention the importance of civic 
literacy among students and 13 State constitutions ex-
press that the central purpose of their educational system 
is to promote good citizenship, democracy, and free gov-
ernment’’; and 
Whereas students should be educated about the Declaration 
of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights 
in the public school system, in order to better understand 
the ideals articulated within them and to become full and 
conscientious citizens: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that all public elementary schools and public 
secondary schools should display, in a clear and con-
spicuous location, a copy of the Declaration of Independ-
ence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. 
Æ 
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