Cardinal Direction
What's really happening in the Mountain State? Cardinal Direction brings you in-depth conversations on the policies affecting West Virginia, from the economy and education to healthcare and infrastructure. Produced by the Cardinal Institute for WV Policy.
Cardinal Direction
The American Founding and its Uniqueness
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
How can teachers tell the full truth about slavery, injustice, and national failure without teaching students to hate their own country? In this episode, hosts Jessica Dobrinsky and Tiffany Hoben examine what makes the American founding unique and how its principles have powered reform movements from abolition to civil rights.
Drawing on primary sources like the Declaration of Independence, the Northwest Ordinance, Thomas Paine, Frederick Douglass, and Abraham Lincoln, Jessica and Tiffany explore how American ideals created a moral standard that later generations used to confront the nation’s deepest wrongs. They also discuss critical race theory, the 1619 Project, and gaps in K 12 civics standards, offering practical guidance on how educators can teach hard history with honesty, context, and what Tiffany calls “critical patriotism.”