| Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal starts with John Agresto’s reflections on the 20th anniversary of the start of the Iraq War. In Agresto’s view, “Much good was accomplished, and much human misery was averted,” including ending the genocide of the Kurds and establishing “some semblance of democracy, chaotic as it is, in the whole of Iraq.” Yet, the failures are important to recount as well, among them being the idea “that overthrowing tyranny and establishing a democratic government was going to be easy” and that “setting up democratic forms, especially voting, was more central than stability, order, or encouraging civil society.” In Agresto’s understanding, these issues point back to a glaring issue among Americans: the lack of understanding of what makes our own country great. It demonstrated that while Americans “understood they lived under a good and praiseworthy system of free government,” Agresto argues that they unfortunately “had scant idea what habits, what ideas, what preconditions free government needed to survive.” At the American Civics portal, Judge Michael Warren commemorates the anniversary of Patrick Henry’s famous 1775 speech, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!” Warren notes that Henry’s robust call for asserting American independence rendered the Declaration of Independence a “mere formality” in the American mind. “Thomas Jefferson himself gave Henry credit for setting ‘the ball of the revolution’ in motion,” writes Warren. He argues that Henry’s speech has vital importance for Americans today as well. It teaches four pivotal truths for those looking to carry on the legacy of liberty: “Phantom hopes are delusional, immediate action is vital, reliance on God essential, and the protection of liberty is indispensable.” As Henry himself exhorted, “The battle is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.” Warren concludes thusly: “Be vigilant, active, and brave, and we may yet remain free.” Original Posts Michael Warren, RealClearAmericanCivics Essential Reading Allen C. Guelzo, Claremont Review of Books Andrew Jackson stalks through the corridors of the early republic like some passionate beast, goaded by... In the News John Agresto, Washington Examiner WQCS Lee Trepanier, Law & Liberty Sarah Blazonis, Spectrum News Indiana Capital Chronicle Brenda Hafera, Daily Signal Business Wire Civics Alliance Mark Walsh, Education Week J. Peder Zane, RealClearPolitics Yeshiva University Todd J. Williams, Martin Center Ben Weingarten, RealClearInvestigations Elizabeth Hosang, 9 & 10 News J.D. Davidson, Center Square ABC News Florida's new Civics Seal of Excellence Endorsement Program aims to improve civic engagement in the classroom... 1600 Sessions In 1933, Franklin Delano Roosevelt was sworn in for the first of his four terms as president... We the People March is women's history month -- and in commemoration of the celebration, this week we hosted a... ISI This episode feature an interview with Jeffrey Sikkenga, the Executive Director of the Ashbrook Center... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories Good morning, it's Friday, March 17, 2023, the day of the week when I reprise quotations meant to be educational ... It's Friday, March 10, 2023, and the day of the week when I reprise quotations meant to be uplifting or ... Good morning, it's Friday, March 3, 2023, the day of the week when I reprise quotations meant to be uplifting ... | 