Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch appeared on Fox News to discuss his new children’s book, The Heroes of 1776. During the interview, Gorsuch shifted focus from the book to a broader concern about civic education in the United States.
Gorsuch warned that a lack of basic civics knowledge is a significant threat to the country. He noted that many Americans would not be able to pass the same test required for foreigners seeking U.S. citizenship. “The greatest danger America faces? Itself,” Gorsuch said during the appearance.
He explained that the Constitution established “the first modern republic in which people rule themselves,” and referenced three core ideas from the Declaration of Independence: equality, unalienable rights coming from God rather than government, and self-rule instead of being subjects to a monarch. “Those three ideas really shook old Europe [and were] never before tried in history. We now almost take them for granted. They’re the air we breathe, the water we swim in,” Gorsuch stated.
Gorsuch emphasized that these principles required courage in 1776 and still do today. He cited Thomas Jefferson: “Thomas Jefferson said an ignorant people will never remain free for long, and he’s right. We need to know our history in order to preserve it.”
The justice’s comments come amid ongoing concerns about public education’s effectiveness in teaching civics, as he pointed out shortcomings in current systems.
