The numbers are staggering. Only 13% of eighth graders are proficient in American history. Just 22% master civics. Six out of ten adults would fail the citizenship test. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is sounding a thunderous alarm: civic literacy is crumbling, and he's stepping up to fight back.
Gorsuch didn't just complain about this crisis. He co-authored a children's book called *Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration*. It's a vivid, hand-painted journey into the lives of young revolutionaries—teenagers who spied, fought, and helped shape a nation 250 years ago. The goal? To ignite a fire in the next generation.
The idea came from his former clerk, Janie Nitze. She called him out. "You've been complaining about civic education for years," she said. He admitted she was right. So he turned frustration into action. "It's time to do something about it," he decided.
This fight isn't new for Gorsuch. Long before he wore a Supreme Court robe, he championed better civics education. He traces his inspiration to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who founded a civics nonprofit after retiring. She saw the problem clearly—"civic education in this country simply isn't being taught anymore."
Why does this matter? Gorsuch puts it starkly: America is a creedal nation, bound not by race or religion, but by three great ideas. If you don't know those ideas—or the history and people behind them—how can you carry them forward? "How else are you going to carry this thing forward? Somebody has to run the zoo," he says.
In 2019, he highlighted a chilling statistic: only one-third of Americans can name all three branches of government. Without understanding checks and balances, freedom becomes "just words on a page." James Madison knew people aren't angels, Gorsuch explains. That's why power must be separated. That's what keeps us free.
Now he's bringing that message to kids. The book doesn't just tell old stories. It highlights young people who made history—spies, soldiers, patriots under 18. "Young people have been remarkable contributors throughout our history," Gorsuch says. "We wanted to inspire them."
Here's the surprising twist: civic education unites the Supreme Court. All nine justices, regardless of ideology, agree on one thing. "Learning American history is essential," Gorsuch insists. Because without it, the entire experiment—the zoo, the republic, the promise of freedom—falls apart.
