Many historians who are far better scholars than I am are weighing in on the 1776 Report. For me, it’s reminiscent of Phil Conley and the American Constitutional Association (ACA) 1/

Consisting of coal barons and powerful state politicians, the ACA was formed in WV after World War I to instill the doctrine of “100% Americanism” into secondary schools.
2/

The idea was that patriotism was synonymous with supporting fossil fuels and against organized labor or anything resembling socialism. Phil Conley controlled WV history textbooks for 50 years, helping to create what I refer to in my book as the Mind Guard System. 3/

The ACA and Conley’s texts mythologized the coal industry in WV while suppressing less savory aspects of WV history like Hawks Nest and the Mine Wars. The 1776 project strikes me as very similar in its intent. 4/

It’s often said that history explains who we are, but how history is taught (or not taught) will sometimes have powerful influence over worldviews. It certainly says a lot about the attitudes of folks in my home state.