It's almost Constitution Day----a time when, too often, students are taught to worship rather than to think critically about this document. In his article, "It's Constitution Day! Time to Teach Obedience or History?" Zinn Education Project co-director Bill Bigelow urges teachers to consider issues of race, class, wealth, and power when we teach the Constitution.

By contrast, the Koch brothers-funded Bill of Rights Institute recently distributed materials to teachers throughout the country urging them to celebrate the Constitution as a document that proves that the founding of the United States is "truly exceptional in human history." This turns the Constitution into an icon of national chauvinism.

As Bigelow writes, "On this Constitution Day, let's encourage schools to teach outside the textbook as part of a broader curriculum of critical thinking." Continue reading.