6/17/2024

Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal begins with a piece that highlights Flag Day, the often overlooked but nevertheless important holiday in the American calendar. At RealClearPolitics, Elliott Drago of the Jack Miller Center notes, “On Flag Day, Americans honor the sacrifices made by many to safeguard the symbol of our national union.” He recounts how the flag-bearer of the 54th Massachusetts regiment, William H. Carney, saved the American flag during their famous siege on Fort Wagner, which was depicted in the award-winning movie "Glory." “Born enslaved in Norfolk, Virginia, on Feb. 29, 1840, Carney eventually found freedom,” Drago writes. “Then, he wanted to fight for it.” Later in life, Carney humbly said of his heroic deed on July 18, 1863: “Boys, I only did my duty. The old flag never touched the ground.” Drago concludes by noting, “Nobody embodied bravery and patriotism in defense of the American flag more than Sgt. William H. Carney. He was an American whose wartime efforts epitomized the lengths to which one might strive to fulfill America’s founding ideals of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

At the Miami Herald, Judge Beth Bloom and Jack Miller Center Chairman of the Board Michael Weiser reflect on the pivotal act of becoming a U.S. citizen. Judge Bloom and Weiser help put together an annual naturalization ceremony that averages 1,000 people in Miami, so they know first-hand the accomplishment and privilege it is to become a naturalized citizen. “Watching a naturalization ceremony is a powerful act of civic education, because it is a reminder that citizenship is a choice,” they write. “People from all over the world dream of coming to America for the freedoms at the heart of our society.” They note that some of the greatest Americans, including Elie Wiesel, Alexander Graham Bell, and Sergey Brin, have enriched our country. Judge Bloom and Weiser conclude by calling students to understand “that American citizenship is a privilege for which many have struggled and still struggle — and understand the magic of freedom and its cost.”