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.