OZARK, ARKANSAS — Jessica Culver, a social studies teacher at Ozark High School in Arkansas, instructs her 11th and 12th-grade students using modern methods, including social media simulations, to engage with the Declaration of Independence. Culver has taught civic education for more than a decade.

Culver asks students to interpret the revolutionary period through the lens of modern social media. As part of a classroom exercise, one student composed the text, "The DOI has been approved! #newcountry #finallyfree." Culver prompts her students by asking, "How would we tell people about it if we were posting on social media? If you were making a TikTok about the Boston Tea Party, what would you say?"

Emma Humphries, the chief education officer at iCivics, noted the importance of the document. "It's our nation's origin story, our shared inheritance," Humphries said. iCivics, founded by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, provides educational materials used by more than 140,000 teachers annually, with over 9 million students playing iCivics games each year. The organization launched the Civic Star Challenge, offering classroom stipends to teachers in all 50 states, and created "Investigation Declaration," an interactive game for students to learn about the Declaration of Independence.

Humphries stated that the goal of these modern approaches is to make potentially complex material accessible to young people. "It's meant to take what can feel really dry and abstract and make it a little goofy and meaningful and relevant for young people," she said. The Declaration of Independence, primarily written by Thomas Jefferson, was signed by 56 individuals, including John Adams, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Thomas Jefferson. Its opening line is "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

Culver's students also engage in other civic activities, such as listening to celebrities read the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. They write letters to their senators and organize a voter registration drive in collaboration with the county clerk's office. Culver emphasizes the document's ongoing relevance, stating, "The Declaration is a continuous document that they're living as 17-year-olds in Ozark, Arkansas." The National Constitution Center in Philadelphia released a special edition of the Trivial Pursuit game for America's 250th anniversary.

Why It Matters

Engaging students with historical documents like the Declaration of Independence through contemporary tools aims to foster a deeper understanding of civic concepts. The use of social media simulations and interactive games aligns with efforts by educational organizations to make civics education more relatable and accessible to younger generations. By connecting historical events to modern communication methods, educators seek to illustrate the enduring relevance of foundational texts.

These methods, employed by teachers like Jessica Culver and supported by organizations such as iCivics, represent an evolving approach to civic education. The intent is to encourage active participation and comprehension of the nation's founding principles, moving beyond traditional memorization to foster a more dynamic engagement with historical and governmental processes.