Americans disagree about politics, but they often struggle to explain why.
In honor of the Semiquincentennial of the United States, Close Up—with support from the U.S. Department of Education—is engaging students and educators in thoughtful examination of America’s core political values and how they regularly come into tension.
Introducing “Cornerstones of American Democracy,” a free, four-week curricular unit for students in grades 10-12. The unit provides an analytical framework for understanding political disagreement by examining six core values that shape our public life—liberty, equality, equity, security/order, private interests, and the common good—alongside enduring questions about the proper scope and role of government. Using curated, multipartisan perspectives, the curriculum helps students see that these tensions are a feature of democratic life, not a failure.
