The 10 Things That Every American Should Know

Literacy in the culture confers power, or at least access to power. Illiteracy, whether willful or unwitting, creates isolation from power. And so any endeavor that makes it easier for those who do not know the memes and themes of American civic life to attain them closes the opportunity gap. It is inherently progressive. Of course, it’s not just newcomers who need greater command of common knowledge...

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