President-Elect Obama and the New Congress Must Address the Eroding Sense of
American National Identity
WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bradley Project on America's
National Identity (www.BradleyProject.org) released an open letter today
urging the new leadership in the White House and in Congress to use upcoming
national events like the Presidential Inauguration and the State of the Union
Address to strengthen our national unity.
The open letter, signed by a number of prominent historians, political
scientists and social commentators, specifically recommends addressing the
following:
-- The challenge of integrating newcomers into America, as well as
engaging
future generations, so that they participate fully in America's
social, economic and civic life.
-- The relationship between a strong national identity and the long-term
health of American democracy. As historian Gordon Wood observes,
"It's our history, our heritage, that makes us a single
people."
-- The direction and character of civic education including the teaching
of
history that exposes students to America's great heroes, dramatic
achievements and high ideals, and that emphasizes those "mystic
chords of memory" that Abraham Lincoln believed held our country
together.
The open letter follows the release last year of the Bradley Project Report, E
Pluribus Unum. That report found that America is in danger of becoming not
"From Many, One," but, "From One, Many," and calls for a national conversation
on preserving and enhancing our national unity. Over 250,000 citizens have
visited the Bradley Project's website since the report's release, and its
findings and recommendations have been endorsed by numerous editorial boards,
commentators, and political leaders.
"Whatever the Future May Hold, America Dare Not Face It Divided and Unsure" --
E Pluribus Unum
An Open Letter to the President-Elect and to the New Congress
The upcoming year may prove to be among the most consequential in our nation's
history.
Can America meet the challenges we are now facing, in our domestic economy and
in our global relations, if many of our fellow citizens are more aware of what
divides us than of what unites us? Can our governing institutions function
effectively to meet these challenges if the foundations upon which these
institutions are built -- the unity and sense of the common good -- are
weakened and less certain?
The answer to these questions, we believe, is "no."
Several months ago, The Bradley Project on America's National Identity
released its report entitled E Pluribus Unum. The report found that our
nation is facing an identity crisis and that we are in danger of becoming not
"From Many, One," but its opposite, "From One, Many." Indeed, although most
Americans believe there is a unique identity that defines what it means to be
an American, over six in ten believe our national identity is getting weaker.
And most troubling, younger Americans -- on whom our continued national
identity depends -- are significantly less likely than older Americans to
believe in a unique national identity or a unique American culture.
The Bradley Project called upon Americans and our leaders to engage in a
conversation about our national identity: What does it mean to be an
American, how can our national identity be sustained, and why is the strength
and clarity of our national identity vital to our future?
That call is more vital today than when it was first issued. We say this
because we believe that without a strong belief in the common good and in what
unites us as Americans, our capability as a nation to address the significant
problems before us today will be seriously imperiled.
The project's report speaks to the fundamental need for a conversation focused
on national unity. It rightly asserts: "America is unique among nations in
being founded not on a common ethnicity, but on a set of ideas... . But a
nation founded on an idea starts anew with each generation and with each new
group of immigrants. Knowing what America stands for is not a genetic
inheritance. It must be learned, both by the next generation and by those who
come to this country. In this way, a nation founded on an idea is inherently
fragile. And a nation that celebrates the many ways we are different from one
another must remind itself constantly of what we all share."
When we first issued this call, it resonated across the country. Over 250,000
have since visited the Bradley Project website at www.BradleyProject.org.
Notable historians and social commentators, ranging from Pulitzer Prize
winners David McCullough and Walter A. McDougall to Harry Lewis, former dean
of Harvard College and Amy A. Kass, senior lecturer at the University of
Chicago, endorsed the project's call to action. And the project's report has
received nationwide editorial and columnist attention in the Washington Post,
the Denver Post, the Detroit Free Press, The Atlantic, the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch, and the National Journal, among many others.
Our concerns have heightened over the past six months not because our unity
has diminished further, but because the importance of national unity has grown
in its role to provide the foundational elements necessary to move our nation
forward.
We call upon our nation's new leadership in the White House and in Congress to
take actions that can strengthen our national unity and national purpose.
Among these are using the major upcoming national events, including the
Presidential Inauguration, the State of the Union Address, and the opening of
the new Congress to speak directly to:
-- the link between our founding principles and self-government in this
new
century;
-- the direction and character of civic education including the teaching
of
history that exposes students to America's great heroes, dramatic
achievements and high ideals, and that emphasizes those "mystic
chords of memory" that Abraham Lincoln believed held our country
together;
-- the challenge of integrating newcomers into America, as well as
engaging
future generations, so that they participate fully in America's
social, economic and civic life;
-- the importance of promoting our national unity while appreciating the
benefits of diversity; and
-- the relationship between a strong national identity and the long-term
health of American democracy. As historian Gordon Wood observes,
"It's our history, our heritage, that makes us a single
people."
Over 200 years ago Benjamin Franklin said, "...we must, indeed, all hang
together or most assuredly we shall hang separately." His words were far more
real than metaphoric in the time of our nation's birth. But in today's world
they are a reminder of what is at stake if we fail to reinforce the
foundations of our nation and promote the common good.
Sincerely,
Walter McDougall, University of Pennsylvania
James W. Ceaser, University of Virginia
Sandra Stotsky, University of Arkansas
Rear Adm. Mike Ratliff, President, The Jack Miller Center
Fred Siegel, Cooper Union for Science & Art
Gilbert T. Sewall, Director, American Textbook Council
Matthew Spalding, Director, B. Kenneth Simon Center for American Studies,
The Heritage Foundation
Wilfred M McClay, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
John J. Patrick, Professor Emeritus of Education, Indiana University
Victoria Hughes, President, Bill of Rights Institute
James C. Rees, Executive Director, Mount Vernon
Anne D. Neal, President, American Council of Trustees and Alumni
SOURCE The Bradley Project
Steven Hofman, +1-301-520-1306 or +1-970-871-4551, northgatedr@hotmail.com,
for The Bradley Project
