By Hill H.C.R. No. 122
77R4887 JLZ-D
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
1-1 WHEREAS, A stable, viable, and cohesive society depends on
1-2 the contributions of numerous individuals who, regardless of
1-3 personal interests or backgrounds, understand the importance of a
1-4 common good, are bound by a common set of values, share a common
1-5 purpose, and actively support the processes and institutions that
1-6 shape and define that society; and
1-7 WHEREAS, Furthermore, a free, vigorous, and enduring nation
1-8 built on democratic principles of governance depends on an informed
1-9 citizenry that is aware and protective of its rights and privileges
1-10 and that participates fully in all of its public functions, both to
1-11 preserve the nation and to safeguard individual liberties; and
1-12 WHEREAS, A key to the vitality of public participation in our
1-13 democracy is a widespread knowledge and appreciation of certain
1-14 basic documents that set forth the ideas, principles, and values
1-15 that form the bedrock not only of American government but of
1-16 American society itself, namely, the Declaration of Independence,
1-17 the United States Constitution, and the Federalist Papers; and
1-18 WHEREAS, Lacking knowledge of these documents, or a
1-19 misunderstanding of the principles and ideas they express,
1-20 undermines our ability to defend those principles and protect the
1-21 rights and liberties we derive from them; to remain wilfully
1-22 uninformed is to abdicate a large portion of our collective civic
1-23 responsibility and to forfeit the power that democracy confers on
1-24 us as individuals; and
2-1 WHEREAS, Absent this awareness of our nation's history, it
2-2 becomes far too easy to believe that engagement in the civic life
2-3 around us is not only optional, but largely irrelevant to one's
2-4 daily life; making this mistake leads one to squander opportunities
2-5 to speak and be heard, to be counted in ways that truly matter, and
2-6 to shape the institutions that serve us; and
2-7 WHEREAS, The basis of American society--a government of the
2-8 people, by the people, and for the people--is in essence a social
2-9 contract; this contract remains viable only as long as individuals
2-10 hold in high esteem character traits such as trustworthiness,
2-11 respect, responsibility, fairness, compassion, good citizenship,
2-12 and a myriad other deeply rooted personal values that guide the
2-13 individual's social interactions with the world; and
2-14 WHEREAS, It is perhaps not mere coincidence that we have seen
2-15 increases in disciplinary problems among adolescents, including
2-16 irresponsible and antisocial behavior such as violence on school
2-17 campuses, teenage pregnancies, and drug use, at the same time that
2-18 adults have shown a dwindling interest in their communities' civic
2-19 affairs, culminating in the historically low voter turnouts in many
2-20 local, state, and national elections in recent years; and
2-21 WHEREAS, Recognizing the dangers posed by a citizenry that is
2-22 not mindful of certain fundamental values and traditions, the Texas
2-23 Legislature, in laying out the curriculum requirements for the
2-24 state's public schools, includes a provision in the Education Code
2-25 that states "A primary purpose of the public school curriculum is
2-26 to prepare thoughtful, active citizens who understand the
2-27 importance of patriotism and can function productively in a free
3-1 enterprise society with appreciation for the basic democratic
3-2 values of our state and national heritage"; and
3-3 WHEREAS, The framework for the state's required curriculum is
3-4 a document known as the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
3-5 (TEKS), in which the State Board of Education sets forth standards
3-6 for those things a student must know and be able to do in each
3-7 subject at each grade level; the TEKS for social studies includes
3-8 student performance standards to be demonstrated in several areas,
3-9 including U.S. history, government, and citizenship; and
3-10 WHEREAS, The TEKS document does not require students to be
3-11 exposed to the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution
3-12 until they reach the fifth grade, and even then does not explicitly
3-13 require students to read the actual documents; similarly, exposure
3-14 to the Federalist Papers is not required until students reach the
3-15 eighth grade; and
3-16 WHEREAS, The members of this legislature believe that the
3-17 public schools and the institutions that govern them do the state
3-18 and the nation a great disservice by minimizing the importance of
3-19 those documents that are the foundation of our representative
3-20 government; now, therefore, be it
3-21 RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
3-22 hereby urge the public schools of this state to set aside one day
3-23 each school year for reading and discussion, at each grade and at
3-24 the level of understanding most appropriate to that grade, of the
3-25 Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the
3-26 Federalist Papers; and, be it further
3-27 RESOLVED, That the legislature also encourage school
4-1 districts to develop and implement character education programs
4-2 that foster good citizenship as well as promote and instill in our
4-3 schoolchildren positive character traits and values essential to
4-4 the success of the individual and the good of society.