Core Texts
"The Real Birth of American Democracy"
Joseph Stromberg
Other
"What Does it Mean to be an American?"
Amy Pearl & Jennifer Hsu
Other
“To Understand How Religion Shapes America, Look to Its Early Days”
Tom Gjelten
Journalismsite
“What the Declaration of Independence Really Claimed”
Randy Barnett
Journalism
"The 14th Amendment’s Tortuous Relationship with American Indians"
Scott Bomboy
Essay
Optional Texts
Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Other
"'I Do Not Identify as American': A Native Perspective on Identity"
Tanzina Vega and Ellen Frankman
Other
"American Citizenship for Natives Was Withheld, Then Rights Were Long-Ignored"
Ruth Hopkins
Journalism
"How the 14th Amendment's Promise of Birthright Citizenship Redefined America"
Martha S. Jones
Other
"What Makes an American an American?"
J. Carlisle Larsen
Other
"A July 4 Tradition: NPR Reads the Declaration of Independence"
Thomas Jefferson, read by NPR Staff
Government Document
Damien Cave and Todd Heisler
Journalism
"Most Americans Express Positive Views of Country’s Growing Racial and Ethnic Diversity"
Hannah Fingerhut
Other
“The American Road Trip Tradition”
Farah Al Qasimi and Liana Aghajanian
Journalism
Excerpt from "Immigration & Civics: What Every American Should Know"
The Aspen Institute
Report
Spanish Texts