OPINION:
Liberals are afraid of exposing students to the truth. Earlier this year, 673 professors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill signed a letter objecting to legislation that would create a new American history graduation requirement for all students at public colleges and universities in the state.
So, what is the proposed law they contend might damage the reputation of higher education in North Carolina?
Amazingly, they fear a three-credit course that would provide a comprehensive overview of the major events and turning points of American history and government.
The course would require each student to read at least the following documents in their entirety:
- The Constitution of the United States of America.
- The Declaration of Independence.
- The Emancipation Proclamation.
- At least five essays from the Federalist Papers, as determined by the instructor.
- Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail.”
- The Gettysburg Address.
The course would include a cumulative final exam that makes up at least 20% of the total course grade on the principles, author perspectives, and relevant historic contexts of the required documents.
Imagine being threatened by words like the preamble to the Constitution of the United States:
“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
These are timeless truths that deserve to be known and revered by all our citizens.
In their letter opposing this proposed graduation requirement and other reforms to higher education, the 673 professors concluded that “our leaders continue to disregard campus autonomy, attack the expertise and independence of world-class faculty, and seek to force students’ educations into pre-approved ideological containers. We must protect the principles of academic freedom and shared governance which have long made UNC a leader in public education.”
In other words, they do not want to be told to expose students to these classic documents that are part of the foundation of our country. Instead, most of them seem to prefer to be the sole conduit through which students see the world. This is the type of control typically seen in oppressive communist regimes. Marxism fails everywhere but in the minds of professors who lack common sense.
Young people, on the other hand, are hungry for the truth. When we hold lectures on campus through Young America’s Foundation, liberals who protest the event help drive curious students to attend. These students want to hear and see what the fuss is all about.
The speaker who draws the largest crowds on campus is Ben Shapiro. He attracts thousands in person and millions online. He generally reserves half or more of his time for taking questions from the crowd.
Mr. Shapiro has perfected a format that others now follow. He allows people who oppose his point of view to raise their hand and move to the front of the line for questions.
On nearly every occasion, the first few questions come from people repeating the same tired rhetoric. Mr. Shapiro then systematically shuts down the argument. Students online and in-person are drawn to this authentic display of logic because of its frequent absence on campus.
I am in North Carolina this week for the 20th anniversary of the James G. Martin Center. It reminded me of when our foundation invited Mr. Shapiro to speak at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro after the local chapter got abused for reposting a quote from him about gender. They tried to cancel them and their members.
The enthusiastic crowd for Mr. Shapiro filled a 2,000-seat gymnasium. A short video of a student trying to best him has been viewed more than 20 million times on the YouTube channel YAFTV. Clearly, young people are hungry for authentic exchanges.
In addition, young people are increasingly drawn to fairness. In a recent poll of students done for Young America’s Foundation, an overwhelming majority said that using racial quotas for employment or college admissions is not fair. Similarly, respondents said that people born as men should not compete against those born as women in varsity athletics.
Authenticity and fairness are important factors for young people. It is why we need a national push for requirements like the one proposed in North Carolina.
An authentic discussion about the founding of our nation and a fair understanding about the lives and circumstances of those involved throughout our history will help lead people of all ages to the truth.
Our republic depends on it.
• Scott Walker is president of Young America’s Foundation and was the 45th governor of Wisconsin.
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