Mission
The July 4th Project will promote civic engagement and national cohesion by educating Americans about the nation’s founding ideals. It aims to reinvigorate the July 4th national holiday with deeper meaning by catalyzing discussion and events about American political traditions through foundational texts such as the Declaration of Independence. The Project’s key tool to do this will be the July 4th Reader, an educational publication that will include excerpts from key historical documents and a discussion guide, which will be distributed in collaboration with a range of partners.
Rationale
The United States is bound together not by a dominant ethnic group or religion but by an ideology. Thus, promoting national cohesion requires returning to that ideolog—the country’s shared political traditions and history. This shared history is broad, and the July 4th Project focuses on the 4th of July holiday to represent one of the most significant parts of the history.
American national cohesion is at a low. Political and cultural differences are hurting Americans’ identity as part of one country. A 2024 NPR poll found that only 39% of people are “proud to be American,” down from 70% in 2003. A survey by the Pew Research Institute found that 64% of Americans think trust in each other has been shrinking. This is not only damaging to the country’s national ethos, but also to its ability to operate effectively. Though people turned out at record rates in the last election, the lack of national unity is making peaceful and productive civic engagement harder. According to a Pew Research poll, in 2022 only 22% of people said they trust the government in Washington to do what is right most of the time.
By promoting the study of the history that underpins the US’ political ideology today—specifically through the lens of the holiday representing the founding of the country—the July 4th Project will be sharing that which is necessary to promote national cohesion. A key purpose of studying history in general is also to understand how the past influences us today and how we can make decisions today based on past precedent. Thus, teaching US political history is also how the July 4th Project achieves its second purpose: promoting civic engagement. A 2019 review of the literature by David Campbell in the Peabody Journal of Education found that civics education is effective at promoting civic engagement.
Methodology and Audience
At present, Independence Day is treated as no more than a day off and barbeque for most people. The Project will reinvigorate the 4th of July holiday with the July 4th Reader.
The Reader teaches the narrative of how the Independence movement came about in the 18th century and its ramifications. It discusses the Declaration of Independence and what it means for us today. This period is key in understanding what shaped the United States in its most formative years into what it is today. Other periods of development, such as after the Civil War or during the Gilded Age, fall out of the narrow bounds of the 4th of July. These periods may be later encapsulated in other works such as the Labor Day Reader.
The Reader will also have activities, recipes and more to add to the traditional 4th of July barbeque.
Different audiences will use the Reader differently. For young people in organized programs such as camps, the Reader may be used for a whole evening program. Local civics groups may have similar programs or smaller discussions using the Reader. Individual families can have a short conversation with the Reader while doing other July 4th activities. The Reader will thus be accessible to people of all ages, educational levels and levels of interest.
The Project will also host events to promote civic engagement and create other educational material.
The Project will not make propagandistic material about American uniqueness. The aim of the Project is to promote a nuanced understanding of the history and significance of American political traditions. The goal is to analyze. The Project looks to present alternative and critical perspectives to help better analyze the dominant perspective.