America’s schools no longer teach our history or celebrate our unique culture, devaluing a powerful force for national unity.

Was the American experiment exceptional? Rightly understood, this question should not elicit a value judgment or be confused with claims about American superiority. Because the question is one of history, and the undisputable answer is yes.

Considering five misconceptions about American exceptionalism

Internet journalism claims to have captured the reality of what newsreaders want by measuring it in clicks. But we are too quick to call that reality, unless one believes that what citizens want is an escape from civilization altogether.

We should be more attentive to expressions such as civil society and civic culture, and not use them in such a rhetorical way.

The US Department of Education’s decision to indefinitely postpone nearly all national exams in civics and US history eliminates the only objective gauge of whether students are learning basic US history and the essential skills needed to be good citizens. Sadly, we already know they aren’t.

In light of the emerging Internal Revenue Service scandal, Senator McConnell will again join AEI to comment on the use of government power to stifle speech and will propose solutions that protect the individual rights that are guaranteed to all citizens of the United States.  

What shared commitments do we have as citizens and neighbors to care for one another? How can a proper ordering of America’s political economy enable the most people to have the best life? At this event, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), a longtime champion of human rights causes, and AEI President Arthur Brooks will join Wallis in addressing these and other questions.

If literature professors would like to see public support for the humanities return to earlier levels of enthusiasm, they cannot continue operating their programs as their own private intellectual preserves. They must open up literary study to the broader, and in many respects more fundamental, educational concerns of the American people.