NC House passes bill that would require universities to teach the Constitution
The NC House recently passed a bill that would require college students to take three credits in American Government or American History in order to graduate.
Any course fulfilling this requirement must have students read foundational documents including the Constitution of the United States, the Declaration of Independence, and the Emancipation Proclamation.
On Wednesday, Mar. 22, the North Carolina House of Representatives passed House Bill 96, which would require all students at public universities in the state to take at least three credit hours in American Government or American History to graduate.
Per the bill, titled the ”North Carolina Reclaiming College Education on America’s Constitutional Heritage Act” (NC REACH Act), all courses fulfilling this requirement must include full readings of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, at least five essays from the Federalist Papers, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, the Gettysburg Address, and the North Carolina State Constitution.
Further, instructors would provide a cumulative exam, worth at least 20% of the student’s final grade, testing understanding of “the provisions and principles of the documents,” “the perspectives of the authors,” and “the relevant historical contexts.”
Universities would be required to incorporate the new class into preexisting degree requirements, rather than add to the total number of credits needed for a degree.
The NC REACH Act passed the House 69-47, with only two Democrats voting in favor of the bill.
Campus Reform has contacted the bill’s primary sponsors for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
