The U.S. Department of Education has formed an America 250 Civics Education Coalition with 41 conservative groups in preparation for the celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary next July 4.
The coalition “is dedicated to renewing patriotism, strengthening civic knowledge and advancing a shared understanding of America’s founding principles in schools across the nation,” according to a statement issued Sept. 17, the day of the coalition’s first meeting.
The statement provided few details and may have misstated its goals. A spokesman for the effort told the Washington Post it would not provide resources for schools but would instead focus on community celebrations of America’s founding. Coalition projects will not use taxpayer funds.
(Shutterstock)
Participating groups include conservative Christian groups and the Heritage Foundation, the group behind Project 2025; Turning Point Education, part of Turning Point USA; Moms for Liberty, which promoted book bans in public schools; and Hillsdale College, which has created a video series called “The Story of America” in cooperation with the White House. Promos for that video show seven episodes, each fronted by a white male.
An Education Department spokesman could not explain why the coalition chose only conservative groups, which it called “best-in-class-organizations,” rather than making the anniversary nonpartisan or bipartisan.
Coalition members include evangelical Christian legal groups Alliance Defending Freedom, America First Legal, American Center for Law and Justice; pro-family groups Alabama Policy Institute, Concerned Women for America, Eagle Forum; Russell Vought’s Center for Renewing America; Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition; and Ben Carson’s American Cornerstone Institute.
The coalition is led by the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank formed by loyal members of his first administration. AFPI was led by Linda McMahon before she was named Trump’s education secretary in this term. She has sought to shut down the department.
“More than ever, we need to restore the vitality of the American spirit, and this coalition will take bold steps to educate, inspire and mobilize youth toward active and informed citizenship,” McMahon said.
The coalition is led by the America First Policy Institute, a pro-Trump think tank formed by loyal members of his first administration.
The coalition promises to deliver “a robust programming agenda” but the only specific project mentioned in the statement is “the Fundamental Liberties College Speaker Series and a 50-state speaking tour on college campuses nationwide,” a project that sounds like it’s patterned after Turning Point USA’s campus tours.
The coalition is part of President Donald Trump’s effort to put his personal spin on next year’s celebrations. In a Jan. 29 executive order, Trump called for:
- “A grand celebration worthy of the momentous occasion of the 250th anniversary of American independence”
- Establishing a White House task force on celebrating the anniversary
- Creating a National Garden of American Heroes featuring statues celebrating 250 people. The garden, which is scheduled to open July 2026, is funded with $40 million from Trump’s “big beautiful bill.” The National Endowment for the Humanities has solicited proposals and is offering to pay up to $200,000 per life-size statue made of marble, granite, bronze, copper or brass. But artists, once chosen, will have only nine months to complete their work.
The emphasis on patriotic education comes as Trump is directing federal institutions to remove “improper partisan ideology” and tell a truncated version of history. As the Washington Post reported, national parks and historical sites have been told to scrub references to slavery, conflicts with Native Americans, the internment of of Japanese citizens during World War II and climate change.
Here’s a list of the America 250 Civics Education Coalition Partners:
- 1776 Project Foundation
- Alabama Policy Institute
- Alliance Defending Freedom
- Alumni Free Speech Alliance
- America First Legal
- American Center for Law and Justice
- American Cornerstone Institute
- American Legislative Exchange Council
- American Moment
- American Principles Project
- Catholic Vote
- Center for Education Reform
- Center for Renewing America
- Center for Urban Renewal
- Claremont Institute
- Commonwealth Foundation
- Concerned Women for America
- Conservative Partnership Institute
- Constituting America
- Council for National Policy
- Eagle Forum
- Faith and Freedom Coalition
- First Liberty Counsel
- First Liberty Institute
- Goldwater Institute
- Heritage Foundation
- Hillsdale College
- Intercollegiate Studies Institute for Education Reform
- James Madison Institute
- Job Creators Network
- Leadership Institute
- Moms for America
- Moms for Liberty
- National Association of Scholars
- PragerU
- Priests for Life
- Religious Freedom Institute
- Texas Public Policy Foundation
- The Fund for American Studies
- Turning Point USA
- Woodson Center.