American History Initiative
In a time when the serious teaching of American civics and history is so badly needed, the field of American history has fallen noticeably behind. History departments are being slashed, history courses are being removed from curricula, and many of the courses that remain are focused on ideological narratives.
It’s time to reinvigorate the field of American History in American education.
In 2023, the Jack Miller Center launched the History Initiative to revive this vital part of civic education.
We have consulted with dozens of historians across the nation to understand what we could do to help them effectively teach college students about the American Political Tradition. Based on these discussions and their concerns, we are convinced that now is the time to resuscitate the field of history.
Our goals by 2026 are to:
- Increase the number of professors who teach American history
- Bolster the field of American history by supporting new published
scholarship and professional development for historians - Tell inspiring stories of American history to the public through
popular media channels - Digitize important primary source documents that tell the American
story on ContextUS.org
In June 2024, the Jack Miller Center initiated a pilot program to tackle the history field’s crisis. With our scholars’ guidance, we’re exploring initiatives like graduate research funding, postdoctoral fellowships, book subventions, new prizes, and a history conference focusing on American Political Tradition historians. These efforts aim to bolster scholars’ careers and revive trust in history-based civic education in colleges.
With the Jack Miller Center’s support, along with our university partners and donors, we aim to inspire the next generation of scholars to study and teach the American Political Tradition.
Join us in creating a renewed appreciation for American history, echoing President Lincoln’s words: “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
Teach & learn with the Jack Miller Center American History Initiative
Meet Dr. Elliott Drago, JMC’s Resident Historian and Manager of the History Initiative
Dr. Elliott Drago promotes the field of American history by recruiting new historians to the JMC network, advancing important scholarship, supporting K-12 teacher programming and content, and telling the great stories of American history to the public. If you are interested in getting involved in the JMC American History Initiative, please reach out to our team at academics@gojmc.org.
News from the American History Initiative
Interview
An interview with Professor Peter PorscheJMC Resident Historian Elliott Drago sat down with JMC fellow Peter Porsche to discuss abolitionism, engaged citizenship, and the inspiration he draws from the American past. Dr. Porsche is a lecturer at Baylor University.