{"id":2623220,"date":"2026-07-03T09:36:54","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:36:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americas-anti-american-public-schools-are-destroying-what-the-declaration-gave-us\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:39:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T13:39:56","slug":"americas-anti-american-public-schools-are-destroying-what-the-declaration-gave-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/americas-anti-american-public-schools-are-destroying-what-the-declaration-gave-us\/","title":{"rendered":"America&#8217;s Anti-American Public Schools Are Destroying What The Declaration Gave Us"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Famericas-anti-american-public-schools-are-destroying-what-the-declaration-gave-us%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2623220&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-is-the-real-threat-to-our-constitutional-republic\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris Is The Real Threat To Our Constitutional Republic\">article expresses concern<\/a> about the decline in the quality and depth of American education, highlighting how current schooling practices-such as lowered standards, reduced emphasis on reading and critical thinking, and more lenient assessments-are failing to prepare students for the responsibilities and freedoms enshrined in the Declaration of Independence. The author emphasizes that true education involves appreciating the richness of human life,fostering intellectual and moral growth,and nurturing a love for literature,history,and philosophy-all essential for a thriving democracy. The piece critiques recent policy shifts, excessive accommodation, and a focus on comfort over challenge, arguing that this approach undermines the foundational values of liberty and individual fulfillment. To honor the principles of the American founding and ensure a resilient future, the author advocates for a return to higher standards, deeper learning, and the fostering of adult obligation in education.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>As Americans prepare to celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the birth of our nation, I find myself haunted by a troubling conclusion: the education many American children now receive is hollowing out the very document we claim to honor.<\/p>\n<p>If you aren\u2019t a teacher, as I have been for almost three decades, you probably don\u2019t know just how bad this reality is.    <\/p>\n<p>My concern is not simply that test scores are in a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/13\/upshot\/test-scores-school-districts-us.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">generations-long decline<\/a>\u201d \u2014 although they are. Nor is it that young people seem utterly incapable of doing the intellectual work <a href=\"https:\/\/ifstudies.org\/blog\/a-free-range-childhood-is-key-to-civic-infrastructure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">required of citizens in an advanced democracy<\/a> \u2014 although that is also true.<\/p>\n<p>If I wanted to be a wee bit cranky \u2014 after so many years in the classroom, I think I\u2019ve earned the right \u2014 it\u2019s not even that our children are growing up in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/entertainment\/books\/a69920140\/lost-art-of-reading-a-book\/\">post-<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esquire.com\/entertainment\/books\/a69920140\/lost-art-of-reading-a-book\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">literate<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/01\/health\/screens-in-school-education-tech-wellness?Date=20260601&#038;Profile=CNN&#038;utm_content=1780317255&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_source=facebook\">device-<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/06\/01\/health\/screens-in-school-education-tech-wellness?Date=20260601&#038;Profile=CNN&#038;utm_content=1780317255&#038;utm_medium=social&#038;utm_source=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">obsessed<\/a>, neurologically neutered, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/20\/opinion\/ai-schools-backlash.html?smid=tw-share\">AI-<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/05\/20\/opinion\/ai-schools-backlash.html?smid=tw-share\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lobotomized<\/a>, politically nihilistic country where schools frequently serve more as hubs of social services than they do as citadels of substantive learning.<\/p>\n<p>My central concern is that in our zest to be accommodating and kind, to make sure every student gets to graduate regardless of how much (or little) knowledge they have gained, or what skills they possess, we are not preparing young Americans to take advantage of the promise Thomas Jefferson made 250 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>What does any of this have to do with the celebration we are about to undertake?<\/p>\n<p>The most underappreciated element of the Declaration\u2019s genius is not its assertion about rights and freedoms, or even its <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >soaring prose extolling universal human equality<\/a>. What often gets overlooked is its implicit acknowledgement about the pluralistic nature of human fulfillment.<\/p>\n<p>Freedom is a necessary component of a full and flourishing life because the \u201cpursuit of happiness\u201d is different for every human being. Some of us are health nuts while others find great joy in being foodies. My son lives for golf and fishing \u2014 his two older sisters couldn\u2019t care less.<\/p>\n<p>Education \u2014 in a traditional sense \u2014 is about learning to appreciate the richness of human life, of broadening the possibilities of thought, word, and deed.<\/p>\n<p>But today, we are producing a generation of Americans who never look into the stars, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bradstulberg.org\/p\/in-defense-of-deep-reading\">take no <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bradstulberg.org\/p\/in-defense-of-deep-reading\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">delight<\/a> in the inspiring words that come from books or history or art. Imagine a reality in which there are souls with no saints, hearts with no poetry, minds with no philosophy.<\/p>\n<p>What happened? You don\u2019t have to look back decades. Look back to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kamala-harris-condemns-d-c-demonstrators-despite-past-encouragement-of-violent-blm-mobs\/\" title=\"Kamala Harris condemns D.C. demonstrators despite past encouragement of violent BLM mobs\">recent history<\/a> and the policy shifts that occurred in the years following societal lockdowns.  <\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t ask young Americans to <a href=\"https:\/\/dailybruin.com\/2026\/05\/27\/hundreds-of-uc-faculty-call-to-reinstate-sat-act-requirements-for-stem-applicants\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">take the SAT<\/a> to get into college. We don\u2019t ask them to read hard books or entire books or, frankly, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailycal.org\/news\/campus\/academics\/reaching-a-crisis-point-uc-berkeley-humanities-professors-lower-expectations-for-assigned-readings\/article_a1e6e366-9c0b-48a2-b662-5191a7120bf4.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">any books<\/a>. We don\u2019t ask them (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.educationnext.org\/the-quiet-erosion-of-the-five-day-school-week\/\">or <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.educationnext.org\/the-quiet-erosion-of-the-five-day-school-week\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">even their teachers)<\/a> to be present five days a week.<\/p>\n<p>Affluent students have learned to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/experts-rip-college-students-reports-expose-them-abusing-system-fake-disabilities\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">manipulate and abuse accommodation policies<\/a> meant for truly disadvantaged students. The number of students with a 504 special-needs plan has skyrocketed.<\/p>\n<p>Dual enrollment has supplanted AP exams so now everyone can get college credit. The dirty little secret is that, most <a href=\"https:\/\/jamesgmartin.center\/2024\/03\/a-high-school-student-critiques-dual-enrollment\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">dual-credit courses are easier<\/a>. Even the College Board <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/education\/advanced-placement-exams-test-scores-higher-f4dce3c2?utm_source=chatgpt.com\">has <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/us-news\/education\/advanced-placement-exams-test-scores-higher-f4dce3c2?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">relaxed grading standards<\/a> as passage rates soar on virtually every exam, inflating grade point averages.<\/p>\n<p>We don\u2019t give as many exams. We don\u2019t give as much homework. Literacy and numerology are in a freefall. <a href=\"https:\/\/firstthings.com\/the-ai-cheating-epidemic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cheating used to be a moral failing<\/a> resulting in parent conferences and student shame. Nowadays, the more likely result is a student shrug or a parent eye roll. The cumulative effect of this dilapidated<strong> <\/strong>American education reaches far beyond the classroom.<\/p>\n<p>We are fooling ourselves if we think we are anything more than failed custodians of the promise made in Philadelphia 250 years ago. <strong><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But this noble experiment of self-government is not over. Open societies, unlike authoritarian regimes, have a unique power to correct themselves, sometimes rapidly. This era of easy education and absolute accommodation is, and has been, a terrible mistake. A bigger one would be to keep making it. <\/p>\n<p>If we truly want to celebrate America this summer and be true to the highest and most noble aspirations of our founders, we must stop conflating kindness and compassion with the endless lowering of standards and expectations. If we continue on our current path, freedom will lead to chaos, not higher purpose. Children will never become the men and women they are capable of being, whatever it is they choose to be.<\/p>\n<p>Our higher task is not merely to hand out diplomas and provide resources while making sure our students are always and endlessly comfortable and entertained.<\/p>\n<p>No, we should want and demand much more. We should widen horizons and deepen intellectual and moral capacity. We should be the unapologetic adults.<\/p>\n<p>Our founders won our freedom. Generations of Americans have sacrificed and bled and died for our freedom. Our greatest enemy today is not Redcoats. It\u2019s comfort with our own educational mediocrity.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Jeremy S. Adams is the author of the forthcoming book <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Lessons-Liberty-Thirty-Extraordinary-Americans\/dp\/0063311070\/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3GFUYXDMT1FBS&#038;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.EbPpmON7Quv6wPUMP9Qd34UIyUlr9DUmjYM8rugWV8EqlgiqVbgHccfm6VqWwsw5YyXA_AOwhhjqDEn2hXKnNmBJmNOC-qMu1RDzvdTSuC2sipioBTCuD8r-Z0NxHjm-.zYvjNriaSQq0A7r8iZn7TaudK5Jdw393e2MLFyG3SUg&#038;dib_tag=se&#038;keywords=lessons+in+liberty+jeremy+s+adams&#038;qid=1711761001&#038;sprefix=lessons+in+liberty,aps,2945&#038;sr=8-1\">Lessons in Liberty: Thirty Lessons for Living From Ten Extraordinary Americans<\/a>. He has taught politics and economics at Bakersfield High School for 26 years. Follow him on X <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JeremyAdams6\">@JeremyAdams6<\/a>. Adams was the DAR 2013 California Teacher of the Year and author of Lessons in Liberty: Thirty Rules for Living from Ten Extraordinary Americans (2024).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>American education erodes the ideals of our founding document<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2304,"featured_media":2623221,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Copy-of-poll2-1.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[82154,5152,7825,34416,32784],"class_list":["post-2623220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-civic-values","tag-education","tag-patriotism","tag-public-schools","tag-us-history"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Copy-of-poll2-1.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2304"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2623220"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2623224,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2623220\/revisions\/2623224"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2623221"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2623220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2623220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2623220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}