Civics Magazine
Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor
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Our founders weren’t just statesmen or philosophers; they were engineers, farmers, entrepreneurs, scientists, and artists. The staying power of the Declaration’s ideas comes from their ability to resonate far beyond the halls of government. Its final words remind us what is at stake: “We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
In this issue of Civics Magazine, we turn to today’s professionals and exemplary citizens to make a new case for civic education—one grounded in experience, not just theory. Hear from Barry Melancon on accounting, Jennifer Frey on the liberal arts, Maya Sulkin on journalism, Rachel Lu on parenting, Justin Shubow on architecture, Ronald Dworkin on medicine, and many others who share why civics matter for every citizen.
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Civics Innovator Prize—Apply Now!
Pitch your America250 project at the 2026 National Summit on Civic Education for a chance to win one of three $10,000 prizes.
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The Jack Miller Center invites presentation proposals for the 2026 National Summit on Civic Education—a celebration of the American founding and its enduring relevance today. Selected presenters will pitch their project in a shark-tank style format on Tuesday, May 19 for a chance to win a $10,000 prize. Three winners will be chosen by breakout session audience members and promoted to a national audience of donors, thought leaders, and civics professionals.
The competition is open to nonprofits, educators, and for-profit organizations. Don’t miss this chance to gain national visibility and accelerate your work.
The deadline for applications is November 14, 2025. Learn more on our FAQ page.
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Teaching America250 Awards
JMC is awarding $5,000 grants directly to teachers for inspiring America250 projects in classrooms, schools, and local communities.
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Calling all K-12 teachers: What would you do with $5,000 to celebrate the Declaration of Independence with your students? Tell us in your proposal for a chance to win our Teaching America250 Awards!
JMC will award one teacher in each state and Washington, D.C., with a $5,000 prize to execute a project of his or her own design to teach the Declaration of Independence and celebrate its 250th anniversary. Eligible projects include field trips, assemblies, community art projects, student contests, and more.
Support for this project was provided by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.
Help us spread the word by sharing this opportunity with your local school or favorite teacher! The deadline for applications is November 16, 2025, and winners will be announced in January.
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Announcing a bold new partnership with Miami Dade College
Weiser Gift Boosts Opportunities for Miami Community College Faculty
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The Jack Miller Center (JMC) is proud to announce a new partnership with Miami Dade College (MDC), the largest institution of higher education in the country, to provide MDC faculty access to rigorous, content-rich graduate-level education at no cost.
The Jack Miller Center Fellowship Program at MDC is a bold, year-long project made possible through a $100,000 gift from longtime JMC supporters and Miamians, Julie and Michael Weiser, through the Greiner Weiser Family Foundation.
The year-long program includes two in-person graduate-level seminars to engage faculty in discussion on the key ideas and documents that shape the American Political Tradition.
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Worth reading & listening
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Podcast: Old School with Shilo Brooks
Fewer of us than ever are reading books for pleasure. JMC scholar Shilo Brooks is on a mission to change that. The Jack Miller Center is proud to support Old School—a new podcast from The Free Press about great books and how reading them can make us stronger, better men. New episodes are out every Thursday!
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A Nation Forgetting Itself: The Cost of Civic Illiteracy
From George Washington to the late Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, "Great Americans have always understood that maintaining our freedom depends on passing down our founding principles and history through education," write Jack Miller, founder and chair emeritus of the Jack Miller Center, and Chair of the Board of Directors Michael Weiser in RealClear Politics.
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About the Jack Miller Center
The Jack Miller Center is a nonpartisan educational venture to advance the work of scholars who teach and study the ideas, documents, and history we hold in common as Americans. We seek to grow the talent pipeline of university educators who teach the American political tradition, to forge new models for university-based training of K-12 civics and history teachers, and to build a diverse coalition of Americans to ignite a civic education renaissance.
To learn more about our work, visit jackmillercenter.org.
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