The History Matters Campaign is a project of the Knowledge Matters Campaign. As we look ahead to 2026, we’re reflecting on a momentous occasion in our nation’s history: the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. We’re also thinking about a more personal milestone. The Knowledge Matters Campaign was founded 10 years ago.
What have we learned in the past decade? Again, we’re thinking about the Declaration. It goes beyond a mere statement—it is an explanation, a strongly argued series of reasons why the 13 colonies stood up as a separate nation some 250 years ago. It’s rooted in an assertion of common rights, laying a foundation for a new government, knit together by common responsibilities and a common cause.
We believe that a common base of knowledge is just as critical to our republic, 250 years later. And as we embark on our second decade of work, we’re energetically investigating why. We’re drawing on both the science of reading and the science of learning to champion the vital role of knowledge in literacy. But we’re also going deeper. Through our History Matters Campaign, we’re putting a finer point on what we mean when we talk about knowledge, given the rights and responsibilities of citizenship in the United States.
On the eve of our 10th birthday, we posed two big questions to a dozen experts and fellow travelers (who also happened to be “in the room” when the Knowledge Matters Campaign was birthed 10 years ago):
What knowledge must each generation possess to sustain a republic? With the demands of democratic participation in mind, how does teaching deep content knowledge in schools help to preserve the freedoms our founders fought for 250 years ago?
Their responses (which were limited to just a few sentences!) are below, with reflections on the role of knowledge in building empathy, civic engagement, and free-thinking patriots. There’s plenty to consider, and ample inspiration—enough to carry us forward for the next 10 years.
Natalie Wexler, Education Writer
“Thomas Jefferson once said that if he had to choose between a government without newspapers and newspapers without a government, he would choose the latter—but only if ‘every man should be capable of reading them.’ Jefferson recognized that democracy requires a citizenry with enough knowledge of the world to understand current events, and that often requires familiarity with at least the basics of history, geography, science, and the arts. To ensure that adults possess that knowledge, we need to immerse children in engaging, specific topics, ideally in a logical sequence that begins in the early grades.”
E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Founder of the Core Knowledge Foundation and Professor Emeritus of Education and Humanities at the University of Virginia
“When Thomas Jefferson was asked why he was bothering to found a university, we don’t have his reliable words, but the gist of it was this: ‘So students will learn history and be determined to ward off tyrants.’ Implicitly, he was arguing that such an aim needs to get prepared for by good schooling. It also explains why democracy is better than kingdoms. It’s because one learns to be a literate patriot rather than a mere follower. One ideally gains enough history and high precepts to be a helper, not just a receiver of help. In a democracy like ours, everyone benefits if we are all patriot-helpers and enemies of tyrants.”
Lisa Hansel, Chief Publications Editor of the American Federation of Teachers
“To keep our republic, all children in America need a foundation of shared knowledge—concepts and vocabulary drawn from a rich array of disciplines and cultures—to enable meaningful communication and to offer each child, as Rudine Sims Bishop said, ‘windows, mirrors, and sliding glass doors.’ Building diverse, shared knowledge will bolster the respect for differences and the capacity to identify misinformation that our nation needs to fulfill its promise of liberty and justice for all. The Knowledge Matters Campaign is a crucial force for lifting up such curricula, and I’m thrilled to see it flourish under Barbara Davidson’s leadership.”
Robert Pondiscio, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute
“A common body of knowledge is more than just a means of ensuring literacy. A shared body of knowledge in history and civics equips young people with the ideas, narratives, and principles that anchor our national identity and make informed self-government possible. Without collective literacy in our founding ideals, civic vocabulary, and democratic practices, citizens lack the common reference points necessary for mutual understanding and civic engagement, nor are they inspired to take up the work ‘to form a more perfect Union.’”
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Distinguished Senior Fellow and President Emeritus of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and Volker Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University
“Benjamin Franklin correctly said ‘a republic if you can keep it,’ but keeping it is a permanent challenge, as each generation must come afresh to understand how it came about, why it came about, what exactly it is, why it was unique, why it’s hard to keep—and why it’s worth keeping. This doesn’t get transmitted through air, milk, or media. It depends entirely on deep knowledge and deep understanding, so much of which depends entirely on deep reading, deep instruction, deep discussion, i.e. on effective schools, teachers, curricula, and classrooms, from the earliest grades through high school and beyond.”
Karin Chenoweth, Founder of Democracy and Education
“The United States began with a radical notion—that the fate of a nation should not rest on the whims and interests of an inherited aristocracy but on ‘we the people.’ Through the tireless efforts of countless people, many of whom gave their lives in the effort to establish their humanity, the United States embraced a much more capacious definition of who should help shape our fate than was ever dreamed of in 1776. Making sure children understand what it took to establish their rights and their freedom is the only way we will be able to truly secure the idea that we are all created equal.”
Laura Slover, Managing Director of Skills for the Future
“As we approach the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it’s clear that democracy doesn’t run on autopilot—it depends on citizens who understand its roots and are ready to protect it. That means teaching every student the story of our founding: the principles of liberty and equality, the compromises that shaped our Constitution, and the ongoing work to expand rights. It also means giving young people the skills to think critically, communicate clearly, and work with others, because those are the tools that keep a republic strong. To ensure a strong future, we must equip this generation to participate fully in civic life. They need to know how government works, why voting matters, and how to hold leaders accountable. And above all, we must make sure every child can read. Without literacy, access to those rights and responsibilities is simply out of reach.”
Leslye Arsht and Susan Pimentel, Co-Founders of StandardsWork
“For 40 years, anyone seeking to join our republic has had to pass a test covering basic knowledge of our founding documents, government system, citizens’ rights and duties, and key moments in American history. Sixteen states now require passing it to graduate—a positive step, but we need to promote civic understanding from an even earlier age. The idea is to view the citizenship test content as a starting point supported by topically linked, historically coherent resources that together trace the arc of U.S. civic engagement—its principles, institutions, and commitments. Such is a goal worth pursuing from elementary school onward, so each generation learns how our democracy works, why it works, and what we must do to preserve it.”
Lynne Munson, Founder and CEO Emeritus of Great Minds
“As always, Barbara Davidson and the Knowledge Matters Campaign ask an essential question. Speaking as much as a mother as a curriculum creator, I’d posit that it is not the specific knowledge—of democratic principles or specific amendments or even republic-saving heroes—that matters most. What we must pass along is the awe-inspiring experience of encountering and appreciating and interrogating knowledge. And of using it as our guide in life, rather than marketing or propaganda.”
Carol Jago, Associate Director of the California Reading and Literature Project at UCLA and Former President of National Council of Teachers of English
“To sustain our republic, we need to learn about one another. Acquiring knowledge about our neighbors’ lives—their beliefs, their troubles, their dreams—promotes understanding. And the better we understand one another, the more likely we are to care for one another. I believe that the more we care for one another, the stronger America will be.”
Torrey Palmer, Assistant Principal of Mater Academy of Northern Nevada and Former Partner at TNTP
“Knowing about the people and events that preceded us is not just interesting, but is a key foundation for growing strong readers. Because when you know something about a topic, you are going to be much more successful reading about it! In turn, strong readers (and writers!) are the foundation of a thriving democracy.”