Rethinking the Greeks’ Contribution to American Democracy

Back in the day, American schoolchildren studied “civics” —the history and workings of our democracy.
Curricula often included the formative influence of “the world’s first democracy of the ancient Greeks.”
Thirty years ago, the role of American civic education became less important, competing with new
priorities for better science and math, and facing curricular debates over new historical interpretations of
the nation’s past. Meanwhile, study of democracy’s Greek heritage similarly slipped into a lower
classroom priority. Read the full article here.