| This week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal begins with Glenn Loury’s First Things essay, “The Case for Black Patriotism.” As he notes, Americans of all races “have a great deal in common.” We “want to have a shot at the American Dream” and “live in clean and orderly communities with good services.” And we all “want to be treated fairly by society and our institutions” and have “the government to work for us, not the other way around.” He decries those who unduly focus only “on our differences” and “believe that there is something fundamentally wrong with America.” Resisting such rhetoric, Loury argues that “our commonalities can be used to build bridges, undergirded by patriotism, between black America and the nation as a whole.” Daniel J. Mahoney argues at National Review that defenders of Western civilization – liberals and conservatives, the religious and nonreligious – must band together and preserve our inheritance against nihilistic forces who are trying to tear down every vestige of our nation’s traditions, culture, and history. “Against the regnant obfuscation of the essential and necessary ties between truth and liberty,” Mahoney writes, “we must recover a philosophical faith rooted in the clear distinction between truth and falsehood, good and evil.” Jack Miller discusses the true story of America, which he says is based on a revolutionary new form of government in which equal citizens participate in self-government. The American “story is the ongoing effort to realize that vision,” Miller says. It “is one of both failures and triumphs.” “It is the story of what has made America exceptional and a magnet for people from around the world,” he continues. He discusses the work of the Jack Miller Center, which he founded in 2003 to help keep the American spirit alive. JMC has partnered with over 1,000 professors, who have taught more than one million students on over 300 college and university campuses, and founded the American History and Civics Initiative in 2016, a K-12 teacher development program that has already had much success. Original Posts Samuel J. Abrams, RealClearPublicAffairs Essential Reading Daniel J. Mahoney, National Review The specter haunting the West today is a self-loathing that is at once nihilistic and fanatical. Yes, friends of ordered liberty must... Glenn Loury, First Things It seems only a few years ago that I was calling myself “a man of the left.” Well, like the Jewish intellectuals who became "neoconservatives"... In the News Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune Michael Barone, RealClearPolitics Mary Grabar, The Federalist Stanley Kurtz, EPPC Vivian Shinall, Braver Angels Tony Kinnett, American Mind Angela Sailor, Daily Signal Yahoo! News Abdallah Fayyad, Boston Globe Mike Gonzalez, Law & Liberty CBS Miami Jesse Greenspan, History.com Jeff Sikkenga, Post and Courier Jason Linkins, New Republic Helen Andrews, American Conservative American Idea In this special holiday episode of The American Idea, we are privileged to share with you a very special Christmas story. A story... Bill of Rights Institute Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage... PolicyEd Some parents and politicians seek to ban controversial ideas from classrooms, but a better solution would be to improve civic... Chris Flannery, American Story Among many days worthy of remembrance, one that is often forgotten is June 8, 1789, when James Madison, in the first Congress... Samuel Gregg & Richard Reinsch, Liberty Law Talk Hello, today we’re talking with Sam Gregg about the question, “What’s wrong with America?” Sam Gregg, many of you know, is... Stuart McLaurin, Richard Rovsek, Dave Marquis, & Kim Fyfe, White House Historical Association Since 1981, the White House Historical Association has created the Official White House Christmas Ornament. Collecting and... Larry Arnn, Kathleen O'Toole, & Hugh Hewitt, Hillsdale College Reviving American Classical K-12 Education is a Tele-Townhall with Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn and National Radio... John Moser & Jeff Sikkenga, Ashbrook Like many wars America has fought, World War II was won by thousands of acts of individual heroism. Acts like Mexican-born Jose... Carl Cannon's Great American Stories On this date in 1946, "It's a Wonderful Life" was screened for the first time at the Globe Theatre in ... It was 178 years ago this week when Charles Dickens and his publisher put the final touches on a thin volume, written for ... On this date in 1957, "The Most Happy Fella," Frank Loesser's musical romp set in Napa wine country, closed at ... | 