![]() And there's a lot in our history to be ashamed of, but hopefully to learn from, too.ĬOONS: An important provision in our bill prevents the federal secretary of education from establishing uniform civics or history curriculum for the country. We're not perfect, and certainly our history reflects that. Under this proposal, what is the government supposed to do when somebody asks for a grant to study the Confederacy in a certain way, say?ĬORNYN: Well, I think, you know, part of living in a free society and part of critical thinking is to have those conversations. You could have more perspectives about the Confederacy and the Civil War. That's a story about which you can have many different perspectives. INSKEEP: You know, I'm glad you mentioned those disagreements because if you start talking about history, Senator Cornyn mentioned Texas' independence from Mexico. But I don't think we can avoid the necessity, the urgency, of helping a younger generation learn the basics of how our government works and why compromise is essential. Civics education has fallen off in part because of disagreements over what should be taught. ![]() There was a recent editorial in The Wall Street Journal by six former secretaries of education from both parties that stated that we now invest a thousand times more in STEM education in our schools than we do in civics and history education. INSKEEP: How much has civics teaching declined in recent decades?ĬOONS: A lot, Steve. Senators, when you talk with constituents, do you sometimes get the impression that a lot of them really don't understand how the government works, how you can be helpful to them and how you can't be?ĬORNYN: Occasionally, Steve, I wonder whether some members of Congress know how government works.ĬORNYN: And, you know - and frequently what I'll do is - and I bet Chris has done the same thing - is I'll say, you remember that old cartoon called "Schoolhouse Rock!"? I'm just a bill on Capitol Hill? If we are the government, we need to know how it works so we can influence it. One is the history of the country, but the other is just how the government works - basic civics. INSKEEP: I guess we should note, we're talking about two related but different things here. But we can't govern ourselves if we don't have knowledge of our foundational principles or our history.ĬOONS: If we don't train young people in civics and how to participate, then we can't be that surprised when our political discourse breaks down. Another document was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.ĬORNYN: Ours is a government of the people, by the people or for the people, as Lincoln said. ![]() One was from the Texas Revolution against Mexico, which talked of the importance of education. Senator Cornyn made his case by quoting historic documents. They're proposing grants to support access to civics and history education. Capitol on January 6, among other events. They're doing so in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Senators Cornyn and Coons say they are working on a bipartisan measure. INSKEEP: Glad they did it again because the party labels are important here. JOHN CORNYN: And I'm Senator John Cornyn from Texas.ĬOONS: Should we say that introduction again and also say our party, which I forgot to?ĬOONS: I'm Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware.ĬORNYN: And I'm John Cornyn, a Republican from Texas. ![]() We'd called them to discuss their proposal to commit $1 billion of federal money to civics education.Ĭan I get each of you just to introduce yourself?ĬHRIS COONS: I'm Senator Chris Coons from Delaware. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.Two United States senators came to the phone yesterday. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) We signed you, bill. During the marathon debate for the Inflation Reduction Act, a photo emerged of a seemingly dejected Sanders sitting on the Capitol steps resembling a 1970s cartoon character, the iconic bill from "Schoolhouse Rock!" on the same Capitol steps. Senator Bernie Sanders has been memed again - no mittens this time. JACK SHELDON: (As bill, singing) I'm just a bill. (SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK!")
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