The Hillsdale College of Michigan, renowned for being a standard-bearer of quality education, has been silently fighting back against the Critical Race Theory through its network of schools offering a free "1776 Curriculum."
CBN News reported that Hillsdale College, a small Christian institution founded in 1844, is building a network of affiliated and chartered schools that offer free "1776 Curriculum" for Kindergarten through 12th Grade.
The curriculum is based on former President Donald Trump's 1776 Commission, which was designed to nurture and advocate America's founding values in public schools. Hillsdale President Dr. Larry Arnn happened to be the chair of the 1776 Commission before President Joe Biden revoked it days after he took his seat of office.
The 1776 Commission was established in response to the "1619 Project" of The New York Times. The 1619 Project alleged America's founding began when the first African slaves arrived in 1619 in Virginia and not in 1776. The project claims that America's economy, founding, and government were a matter of White supremacy and slavery. It was full of factual errors in American history and received major criticism for it.
Envisioned to develop minds and improve hearts, the Hillsdale College 1776 Curriculum is "an education that is both classical and American in its orientation; one that is rooted in the liberal arts and sciences, offers a firm grounding in civic virtue, and cultivates moral character."
Hillsdale currently has 21 charter-member schools in 10 states and 33 affiliated schools in 16 states who use their curriculum. The charter-member schools are independently-operated and publicly funded by the school district they serve.
The affiliate schools are located in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming. This excludes an affiliate school in Ecuador. The affiliated schools have 14,000 enrolled students and an additional 8,000 waiting for enrollment.
According to The New York Times, Hillsdale plans to expand its network of charter schools that focus on "the centrality of the Western tradition." Hillsdale was recently invited by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee to use public funds that include $32 million set for charter facilities in starting 50 schools in the state.
"For decades, Hillsdale College has been the standard-bearer in quality curriculum and in the responsibility of preserving American liberty. I believe their efforts are a good fit for Tennessee," Lee said.
Parents reportedly praise the curriculum along with the school's class size and ease of communication with teachers. Meanwhile, critics question the school's curriculum and posted negative reviews on various websites.
Hillsdale College recently hosted its annual Spring Convocation where it honored the liberal arts academic tradition of the school, along with the accomplishments of its faculty and students. In an address entitled, "The College, the Republic, and True Patriotism," Associate Professor of Management Peter Jennings highlighted the importance of teaching the truth to students to inculcate love for the country. Jenning's speech grasps the purpose of the curriculum the school promotes.
"The rallying point of American patriotism is that there is a shared commitment to the truths proclaimed in the Declaration and embodied in the Constitution. To love America intelligently requires sound learning so that these truths are rightly understood, properly valued, and faithfully led to this end," Jennings said.
