What Every American Should Know
November 9, 2016
What does it mean to have a shared destiny and a common civic purpose in today’s America? How can we as a country begin to heal the divides that loom larger daily, particularly in the midst of such a heated national debate? In 1987, E.D. Hirsch published Cultural Literacy: What Every American Should Know, a book that argued for a common civic and cultural vocabulary, and included a highly contentious list of 5,000 references that he felt were critical to everyone’s knowledgebase.
A generation later, we revisit Hirsch’s idea, but through the lens of multiple perspectives. What Every American Should Know is a project of the Aspen Institute’s Citizenship & American Identity Program. The project got its start from an essay by Eric Liu, founder of the Aspen Institute’s nonpartisan Citizen University, in which he argues that in an increasingly diversified U.S., where economic inequality is rampant and opportunity is often limited to a few lucky individuals, a shared base of historical, cultural, and political knowledge is imperative towards creating a more just and progressive society. But unlike Hirsch, Liu adds that this list of the best sources should be crowd-sourced in order to build up the foundation for civic and cultural history.
On Tuesday, November 22nd, Skokie Public Library will host the fourth installment of the What Every American Should Know library series. What do you think every American should know to be civically and culturally literate? What would be on your top ten list of things every adult should know to understand what it means to be an American? Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky will participate in a panel comprised of six local educators and policy experts (Peter Adams, Angelyn Anderson, Kelli Covey, Masum Momaya, Pankaj Sharma, and Martin Torres) to talk about their lists. Then, we’ll shine the spotlight upon you as we collaborate and create the ultimate syllabus for our community. Join us for this essential dialogue, the perfect way to wind down after a season of chaotic electoral news. Register now.