by Robert Pondiscio in The Next 30 Years Substack (June 25, 2026)
Fresh on the heels of America’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary, AEI Senior Fellow Robert Pondiscio argues that healthy civic education has been in decline for some time. With eyes wide open to our nation’s limitations, Pondiscio argues that “love of country and honest criticism are not conflicting values, but love must come first.” Read Pondiscio’s blueprint for promulgating patriotism through genuine gratitude for our American inheritance…
Pondiscio contends that, with the school year over and with the United States celebrating its 250th anniversary, parents have a unique opportunity to cultivate gratitude and civic appreciation in their children. The author asserts that while schools often emphasize America’s flaws and historical shortcomings, families can help children recognize the extraordinary opportunities and freedoms they inherit simply by being born in the United States. Using a variation of the philosopher John Rawls’ “veil of ignorance” thought experiment, the author suggests that if people did not know the circumstances of their birth, many would still choose America because of its relative safety, prosperity, and freedom.
A central theme is that Americans have become so accustomed to the nation’s abundance that they no longer notice it. The author points to recent videos of international visitors marveling at everyday aspects of American life—from well-stocked grocery stores to extensive infrastructure—as reminders of blessings that many Americans overlook. While acknowledging that consumer conveniences are only surface-level indicators of the country’s success, the essay maintains that these observations highlight a deeper reality: children should learn not only what America has done wrong, but also why millions of people throughout history have sought the opportunity to live there.
Pondiscio stresses that gratitude and criticism are not mutually exclusive but complementary. A healthy civic education should teach children to recognize injustice while also appreciating the constitutional system, civil liberties, economic opportunities, and traditions they have inherited. America’s greatest reformers—including figures such as Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, and Martin Luther King Jr.—criticized the nation by appealing to its founding ideals rather than rejecting them, demonstrating that love of country can motivate efforts to improve it.
This piece concludes with a call to action for parents, arguing that patriotism is not primarily the responsibility of schools but of families and communities. It encourages parents to foster civic gratitude through simple experiences such as reading biographies, visiting historic sites and national parks, attending Independence Day celebrations, sharing family immigration stories, or observing naturalization ceremonies. By helping children understand both America’s imperfections and its remarkable achievements, parents can raise citizens who are motivated to preserve and strengthen the nation’s democratic institutions for future generations.
