“.... knowledge is power, ... knowledge is safety, ... knowledge is happiness”
-Thomas Jefferson to George Ticknor, 1817
Join us for our ongoing Pursuits of Knowledge series exploring the enduring legacy of curiosity, innovation, and learning inspired by Thomas Jefferson, and the people and paths that created the United States.
Food and beverages, including award-winning Jefferson Vineyards wine, will be available for purchase.
Event Details
- Concessions and seating open at 5:30pm and the program begins promptly at 6pm.
- Meet the author and book signing available after the program.
- Complimentary parking is available at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center
About the Book
The Cradle of Citizenship: How Schools Can Help Save Our Democracy
A devastating critique of our failure to prepare students for citizenship—and a roadmap to a better way.
America’s Founders placed great confidence in schools, which they believed would teach young people to understand our political system and to engage in reasoned political debate as adults. Yet today, when virtually all Americans graduate from high school, we remain stunningly ignorant of history and government. In 2022, the National Assessment of Educational Progress found that only 13 percent of students scored a “proficient” level in history. Adults do no better: only 40 percent can name the three branches of government.
In The Cradle of Citizenship, James Traub chronicles his year of observing public schools across the country, talking to teachers, scholars, and curriculum designers. He finds teachers in Florida who are afraid of discussing topics that might be seen as “woke”; a red-blue war incarnated in the 1619 Project and 1776 Report; a profound disagreement over what exactly civic education means; and, most dismayingly, ever-diminishing expectations of students with ever-dwindling attention spans.
Yet The Cradle of Citizenship also finds sources of hope. Traub learns that, despite endless right-wing critiques, virtually all social studies teachers keep their personal views to themselves and encourage students to develop views of their own. He describes the extraordinary collaboration between liberal and conservative scholars that led to the creation of “Educating for American Democracy,” a roadmap for the teaching of civics. Finally, Traub describes the “classical school,” a traditional model based on the study of great books and the conscious molding of character, which is derided as reactionary in progressive circles yet prompts students to discuss books and ideas with depth. Shedding light on one of the most divisive issues of our time, The Cradle of Citizenship upholds a vision of civics education as it could be.
About the Author
James Traub has written extensively for America’s leading publications, including The New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine. His most recent book, True Believer: Hubert Humphrey’s Quest for a More Just America, was longlisted for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He lives in New York.
