Reclaiming American History

The Richard Nixon Foundation has exciting plans to build a modern educational institution boasting unmatched immersive experiences and virtual programs that will enable the next generation of America’s students to understand the rights and duties of citizenship and how the U.S. government works. This is urgent as the American education system continues to leave civics on the sidelines, undermining the very fabric of our republic. 

We’ll embark on major capital improvements to expand our educational footprint; quadruple our educational exhibition space; preserve the President’s iconic Marine One helicopter and “The Beast” presidential limousine; and create an immersive, hands-on civics education center for students, scholars and researchers from around the world, bringing together nonpartisan educational collaborators to play a leading role in tackling one of our country’s most pressing and glaring challenges. 

This planned completion of the Nixon Library’s campus follows the reimagination of the 20,000 sq. ft. permanent gallery space into a modern presidential museum in 2017; this was followed by a renovation of the beautiful White House East Room and creation of a digital broadcast studio in 2020. After Covid-19 exposed detrimental misunderstandings of civics and citizenship, the work of the Nixon Foundation to expand its educational offerings, reach and influence –locally and nationally— couldn’t come at a more urgent time.

America is at a crossroads.

In 2020 our country was confronted with challenges not seen for 20 years or more, perhaps even dating back to the unrest and challenges of the Vietnam War period.  Curriculums changed as the country began to redefine what it means to be an American in the 21st century.

Such national conversations proved difficult, divisive, and unresolved. The mistrust and distrust from across all political spectrums has, unfortunately, infected our educational curriculum. And we are losing civics education in the process.

Civics —an age-old term now unfamiliar to younger Americans— is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as “the study of the rights and duties of citizenship.”

Today, most middle and high school-aged students lack any basic understanding of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, or the roles of the various levels of federal, state, and local government — essentially, those basic understandings which ensure America remains “the last best hope of man on earth.”

To address this, the Richard Nixon Foundation has plans to expand its educational efforts through the American Civics Campaign, to truly become a center for civics education where students engage in immersive experiences, exhibits and virtual programs to understand the rights and duties of citizenship in America.

American Civics Center

The Richard Nixon Foundation has conceived of a way for middle and high school-aged students to gain a real and deeper understanding of the history and politics of the United States, based on the truly unique resources and opportunities that a Presidential Library can provide.

The American Civics Center will offer hands-on scenario-based learning experiences that mimic decision-making at all levels of government — from school boards to the White House —- demonstrating how the American system functions and why it needs to be preserved. 

By role-playing as members of the President’s senior White House staff and Cabinet, students will translate those experiences into an understanding of how the American Constitution and systems of government work, and learn from history to navigate our modern, complex world.

The scenario-based learning settings will include sessions in a replica White House Situation Room and a large press briefing room. Such programming is, amazingly, largely absent from public schools. Topics will include the basics of America’s founding, core tenants of the Constitution with an emphasis on the Presidency and the executive branch, and an understanding of Capitalism, entrepreneurship, and risk-taking.

By assigning interesting and important roles to these students, student participants can think critically about what decisions they would make — and why. Through such experiences, students will live the history they are studying. And only by living this history can they come to appreciate the brilliance of our American system of government.

Programs

Richard Nixon was ahead of his time. His administration’s record in both foreign and domestic affairs was inventive, creative and achieved lasting results.

Now, as America’s role in the world is hotly debated, the Nixon Foundation is arming our policymakers with thoughtful, reasoned, strategic options based in history —by telling the Nixon story.

In a thorough twist of irony, the world saw despotism and violence in spades in 2022, on what was the 50th anniversary of President Nixon’s historic trip to China, as the forces of tyranny turned hot; Russia invaded Ukraine and the Western world united with an aggressive response.

Multipolarity —a word not uttered since the fall of the Soviet Union— once again entered the geopolitical lexicon. And America’s role as the world’s superpower comes under examination from forces outside and in.