The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum
What Is the Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum?
Designed by teachers and professors at Hillsdale College, the 1776 Curriculum is a K-12 history and civics curriculum that covers the triumphs and tragedies of American history fairly and comprehensively. It determines what students should learn in history and civics based on the answers to a single question:
What ideas, words, and deeds have most significantly formed the world into which our students were born?
Studying the answers to this question provides students the fullest understanding of the world in which they will live their lives.
Why Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum?
At Hawaiʻi Classical Academy, we believe that the United States of America is a remarkable country. Our civics education and, specifically, the teaching of American history, reflect that belief.
In history and civics classes, we have one aim above all: to inspire our students to understand the inheritance they received as Americans. To understand this clearly, we believe in fostering a humility that helps students recognize that the world in which we live, with all its benefits and also its faults, is not of our own creation. This is the beginning of American history and civic education.
We insist that our students are taught honestly, using a curriculum that presents a fair, unbiased, and comprehensive view of our nation’s history. As an essential part of our K-12 history sequence, we are using the Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum to accomplish this goal.
The Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum includes:
American history lessons from pre-European Exploration through Reconstruction for K-12 teachers
American history lessons from the Gilded Age to present day for middle and high school teachers
Complete civics and government courses for middle and high school teachers
Hillsdale College-vetted book, online course, and resource recommendations
Student-ready primary sources
Sample assignments, activities, and assessments
An Introduction that includes the principles of the curriculum, pedagogical guidance, and advice for adopting the curriculum