Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is sounding the alarm about a collapse in civic knowledge among young Americans, and he decided to do something practical: write a children’s book to reconnect kids with the founding ideas that built this country. The book, “Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration,” aims to spark curiosity about history, highlight young people’s roles in the Revolution, and push back against the steady erosion of civic education in classrooms and homes. This piece covers his reasons, the hard numbers he cited, the influences behind the project, and how he hopes the book will inspire a new generation. Expect a direct, no-nonsense look at why knowing our past matters for keeping liberty alive.
Gorsuch says the numbers are grim and he repeats them plainly to make the point. “Only about 13% of kids today in eighth grade are proficient in American history — [and just] 22% in civics,” he told Fox News Digital. “Six out of 10 adults would fail our citizenship test.” Those statistics drove him to act because a republic needs citizens who understand how it works.
He co-wrote the book with his former clerk, and the collaboration has a backstory he enjoys telling. “That’s how [my co-author] hooked me,” Gorsuch said. “She says, ‘You have been complaining about the state of civic education in this country for a long time,'” Gorsuch said. “She’s right. … So, it’s time to do something about it, I figured.”
Gorsuch traces his motivation back to a civic education tradition on the high court that he respects. He points to former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and her post-bench civic efforts as a clear model. “As she was leaving the court, she reflected that civic education in this country is a problem,” Gorsuch said of O’Connor’s work. “And for a lot of reasons, it’s simply not being taught anymore.”
His argument is not just nostalgic preaching; it’s basic civic realism rooted in Republican concern for ordered liberty and the institutions that sustain it. “So I do think we have a big problem, because we are a creedal nation, again, not based on race or religion, but based on an idea, three great ideas, I think,” he said. “And if you don’t know what they are, the history and the people that made them possible, how can you possibly carry them on?”
Gorsuch has been making this case for years and points to more data from before he wrote the book. He noted in 2019 that just one-third of Americans could name all three branches of government, a troubling gap for anyone worried about checks and balances. “What Madison knew is that people are not angels,” he told Fox & Friends. “And that we need to separate powers that keep us free.”
The new book mixes narrative and art to reach kids who otherwise will never hear these stories in class. It features hand-painted illustrations and profiles of well-known revolutionaries alongside younger figures who actually played roles in the war, including teenagers who served as spies or messengers. “Young people have been remarkable contributors to our country throughout history,” Gorsuch said, naming those teenagers. “We wanted to inspire young people. That was a huge part of it.”
He stresses that this is not a partisan marketing pitch; it’s about preserving the basics every citizen should know. Gorsuch says the nine justices all share the same view when it comes to civic education. “If you polled the nine of us in our conference room,” Gorsuch said of the justices, “one thing we could all agree on is the importance of learning American history.” He adds the blunt point with a grin: “Because how else are you going to carry this thing forward? Somebody has to run the zoo,” he said.
