TRENTON, N.J. — Assemblyman Bob Auth has introduced legislation that would require New Jersey public schools to begin each day with students in grades three through 12 reciting excerpts from the Declaration of Independence as part of an effort to strengthen civics education and patriotism.
The bill, titled “America – Celebrating 250 Years” (A5123), comes as the nation prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
“Our Founding Fathers mined the wisdom of Cicero more than any other Roman statesman. He said, ‘To be unacquainted with what has passed in the world, before we came into it ourselves, is to be always children. For what is the age of a single mortal, unless it is connected, by the aid of History, with the times of our ancestors?’” Auth, R-Bergen, said. “Our students can’t have a love for and pride in what they don’t know, or worse, are being taught to hate.”
According to Auth, the legislation is aimed at reversing what he described as declining civic knowledge and patriotism among younger generations.
The proposal would allow classroom teachers or school principals to recite passages from the Declaration, including the document’s well-known statement: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The bill also calls for age-appropriate instruction connecting the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution, Bill of Rights, abolition of slavery, women’s suffrage movement, Civil Rights Movement and other historical milestones.
Auth cited national history assessment scores and public opinion polling as evidence of declining civic engagement among young Americans. He referenced the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which found 13% of eighth graders scored at or above proficient in U.S. history, and a 2025 Gallup poll showing 41% of Gen Z respondents said they were “extremely or very proud” to be American.
“I can’t improve upon Ronald Reagan’s call to patriotism in his farewell address: ‘An informed patriotism is what we want. And are we doing a good enough job teaching our children what America is and what she represents in the long history of the world?’” Auth said. “America has her sins, but she’s the greatest country on earth, and our citizens and guests should learn that you can criticize her and still love her and be proud to be called by her name.”
