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For Immediate Release
Role of the Printing Secretary
September 17, 2002

Remarks by the President on Teaching American History and Civic Education
E Literature Magnet School
Nashville, Tennessee

1:05 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT: Cheers all for coming. Cheers for that warm welcome -- really warm welcome. (Laughter.) Across America today, Americans are reciting 31 world -- words that aid define our country. In in one case judgement nosotros affirm our form of authorities, our belief in human dignity, our unity as a people, and our reliance on Providence.

And this pledge takes on a special meaning in a time of war. Our enemies hate these words. That's what y'all've got to empathise. They hate the words, and they want to erase them. We're determined to represent these words, and alive them out in our lives. Our fidelity has never been stronger. We've never been more than determined. And nosotros must work to teach our children to love our nation as much as nosotros practise.

I want to thank you all for coming today. I particularly want to give thanks our Secretary of Education for traveling with me -- Rod Paige. I picked Rod out of a lot of really good candidates considering I wanted somebody to exist in Washington who had really been on the front lines of educating every kid. We didn't need any more theory in Washington. We needed people that really done. And when we talk near raising the bar and challenging the soft bigotry of depression expectations, so that every kid can learn, when nosotros talk virtually having an accountability system to make sure no child is left behind, our Secretary of Pedagogy has actually washed information technology. He ran one of the largest school districts in my state, our state, and he did so with class and dignity. And the children of Houston, Texas are better off for it.

Mr. Secretary, cheers for coming. I'm also proud to exist sharing the phase with some other superintendent -- Pedro Garcia. Mucho gusto, Pedro. (Applause.)

Pedro is a good leader. It'southward very interesting -- nosotros were talking before we came out here and Pedro was a part of what they call Operation Pedro Pan -- Operation Peter Pan. Then, by the fashion, was a member of my Cabinet, Mel Martinez. When both Pedro and Mel were immature men, their parents wanted their children to grow up in freedom. Then they put them on an airplane to a foreign state. They had bully faith in America, organized religion -- so much faith in the ethics of our land that they were willing to trust their teenage children with a stranger in a foreign country. And they came and were loved. I don't know, Pedro, whether your mom and dad came, but Mel's mother and daddy came.

And I want you all to call up these stories about Pedro, who's at present your Superintendent of School, or Mel, who'due south in my Chiffonier, that this state offered so much promise and and then much hope, because nosotros believe so strongly in freedom that people, such every bit the Garcias and the Martinezes were willing to surrender their children then they could grow up in a free society.

I love the story of Pedro Pan. I love the job you lot're doing, and I wish you all the best. And I'm also so appreciative for Kaye, Kaye Schneider, the principal of East Literature Magnet School, for opening upwardly this schoolhouse. She said information technology's been an amazing experience. I bet information technology has, with all these -- (laughter) -- all these advance people and all the entourage here. But thanks for opening up this great school. I'm here considering this is a eye of excellence, a school that refuses to get out any kid behind, and it starts with having a skillful solid, audio master. And then, Kaye, thank you very much. (Adulation.)

I want to give thanks all the teachers who are here. Thank you for taking on a noble profession. (Applause.) Old Sam Houston, he used to live in Tennessee. And at i fourth dimension he had been the governor of Texas and a senator from Texas. And he was a famous Tennessee guy, and he was President of the Democracy of Texas. And they said, of all the jobs you've ever had, Sam, what was the most important one? He said, without hesitation, instructor, considering he had been a instructor. (Adulation.)

I want to thank the mothers and dads who are hither. Thank you for coming. Yous, too, are teachers. The best education starts at home, past loving your children with all your heart and all your soul. I want to thank the students who are here. Thanks for letting me come up by and visit with you.

I appreciate very much elected officials who have come up today: Senator Fred Thompson, Senator Nib Frist, Congressman Zach Wamp, Congressman Van Hilleary, Congressman Bob Clement, Congressman Bart Gordon, Congressman Ed Bryant. I want to thank your Mayor, Bill Purcell, for coming also, the Mayor of Nashville. Thank my friend, Lamar Alexander, for existence here.

But most of all, I want to thank you all for giving me a chance to come and share some thoughts. Information technology is very important for our youngsters to empathize history, the history of our country, the ideals that make our country stiff. This morning at the Rose Garden I kicked off a national initiative, and I'thousand going to describe some of what nosotros're going to practise to make sure that we teach more history to our children.

Especially important in a time of war that our children sympathize the context of why we fight. Yous run across, ours is a history of freedom. 1 of the nearly precious ideas we accept is freedom for everybody. Nosotros love our freedoms. We love the idea of beingness a free lodge. And throughout our history, people have fought for freedom. Whether it's been in the Revolutionary War, or the heroic struggle to end slavery, or civil rights wars in the United States Congress, or whether it's World State of war Two where nosotros fought to complimentary people from tyranny, the history of this nation has been a history of liberty and justice.

Our children are growing upwardly in a difficult time for America, because they come across on their TV screens the fact that America is at present a battlefield. When we were kids, a lot of us were kids, growing upward, oceans separated usa from danger. We were confident in our power to resist evil considering evil could never make information technology to our shore, unless it was created internally. But at present we've entered a new period where we're vulnerable. It's tough for our children to comprehend that, I know.

Simply y'all've got to empathise why we're vulnerable, and that is because in that location are people in the globe that detest the fact that we honey freedom. People cannot stand the fact that your great nation not only allows, only encourages people to worship an almighty God in any mode they want to. We welcome that in America. (Applause.)

Nosotros speak our listen freely. All yous've got to do is remember it's an ballot twelvemonth. (Laughter.) Nosotros believe in a free press. And we're not going to alter. We love our freedoms. Our history has taught us that. And today, we dear them just as strongly as others in the past have.

The other matter the children are learning is the notion of people serving something greater than themselves in life. Y'all know, I think one of the most defining moments of the contempo American history was Flight 93. Flight 93 is an amazing lesson. Laura and I had the laurels of going to the site there in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, the other day to hug and cry and visit with and smile with if they wanted to smile, with the family members of those brave souls who were on that airplane.

But it's a lesson of people loving freedom then much and loving their country and then much, that they're willing to drive a plane into the ground to salve other people's lives. What a powerful bulletin, that part of beingness an American is to serve something greater than yourself. Part of being a denizen in this great land is to non simply take from the land, but to give.

So today, when you realize there are military people looking in caves in Afghanistan, or moving effectually the world to try to fight tyranny and terrorism, they do so to serve something greater than themselves -- considering of a stiff ideal, a strong sense of purpose, a strong sense of state.

You lot've got to understand there are some in this world that just exercise non attach to the ideals we believe in. In Iraq, they don't put their hand over their heart and say, "Freedom and justice for all." They don't believe in liberty. The dictator who runs Iraq doesn't believe in justice. He but believes in liberty and justice for those who he decides become liberty and justice.

At that place'southward a lot of talk nigh Iraq on our TV screens, and in that location should exist, because nosotros're trying to figure out how best to make the world a peaceful place. There's an former maxim in Tennessee -- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me in one case, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't go fooled again. You've got to understand the nature of the authorities we're dealing with. This is a man who has delayed, denied, deceived the earth. For the sake of liberty and justice for all, the Un Security Quango must human action, must act in way to hold this authorities to account, must non be fooled, must be relevant to keep the peace.

Part of the American history teaches us that nosotros must lead toward a more peaceful earth. Part of the history of the globe shows that as threats develop, we must deal with them earlier they go too acute, unmanageable. Part of our history is, is that we're a peaceful people. We love and long for peace, that nosotros want peace for generations to come up. Only sometimes we must act in guild to attain the peace.

And all our history says we believe in liberty and justice for all, that when we see oppression, we cry; that when we found out that immature girls in Afghanistan could non go to schoolhouse because they were in the clutches of 1 of the virtually barbaric regimes in the history of mankind, we acted not only to uphold doctrine and to fight the war confronting terror, we acted to liberate people. Our history shows that nosotros're not a nation which conquers; nosotros're a nation which liberates.

History is important for our children to understand, to give them a improve sense of how to understand what we practise and a sense of what it means to be an American; a sense of importance of serving something greater than yourself in life.

The first initiative that we're going to put out is called We the People, which will encourage American history and civic education all effectually the country. At that place volition be a grant program to encourage the development of adept curricula and a lecture series, and essays by loftier school students on liberty and justice and freedom.

We've got a bully shop of documents here in America, then nosotros're going to put out a plan called Our Documents, the National Archivist is going to work with united states to make sure all of the archives of America are now on-line, so schools tin hands tap in to notice out how our history developed through the archives of the land. It ought to exist a really interesting way for our students to larn more near America.

Nosotros're going to have a White House forum there in Washington, D.C. -- obviously; that's where the White House is -- in January or February of adjacent yr, to phone call in experts as to how better teach our history, and at the same fourth dimension, teach the ideals that make us a great nation. We're going to practice our role at the federal level; it's very important that you all do your office here in Nashville, Tennessee, and insist upon skilful civics lessons, the true lessons of history, to make sure our children understand the ethics that brand us great.

And one of the things our youngsters and those of u.s.a. not quite then young tin do -- and this is of import -- is to celebrate patriotism past loving your neighbor like you'd like to exist loved yourself. You see, information technology'due south important to realize that ane person tin't exercise everything to change America, but ane person can do something. Every child who hurts, who receives your beloved, is role of changing America for the better, is part of fighting evil with acts of kindness and decency.

I met Harry Ingle, Jr., at Air Forcefulness I. He's an Due east Literature Magnet student. He's a inferior. He was out there considering he is involved with mentoring children. He'south a soldier in the army of compassion here in Nashville, Tennessee. He'south a part of the truthful strength of America, which is neighbor loving neighbor. Those of the states who are on our feet, helping those who aren't on their feet. He'southward a function of the lite that tin can assist shine into corners of darkness, where there may be despair and addiction and loneliness.

No, part of patriotism is not just to put a paw over our eye, merely part of being a patriot is to serve the ethics of this state by serving something greater than yourself.

I want the students here to understand that this groovy nation of ours longs for peace, but we also want to practice compassion. And yous tin can exist a part of the empathetic time to come by helping somebody in need.

Information technology is an honor to be hither at this fine school, in this fine metropolis, in this great state, to celebrate with millions of students all across the country the Pledge of Allegiance, the Pledge beyond America. Information technology is my honor to be hither to remind people the great ideals of the greatest land on the face of the Earth.

May God bless you all and may God bless America.

END 1:25 P.M. CDT

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Source: https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020917-7.html

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