In his final official action before the fate of his presidency is decided at the polls on Tuesday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order creating a "1776 Commission" to counter the New York Times "1619 Project."
"I just signed an executive order to teach our students PRO-AMERICAN Values!" Trump tweeted on Monday.
The Times' 1619 Project reframes American history around the date the first African slaves were brought to what would become the United States rather than 1776, the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
According to a fact sheet at WhiteHouse.gov, the 1776 Commission "will work to improve understanding of the history and the principles of the founding of the United States among our Nation’s rising generations."
The commission is to report back within a year, and is expected to offer recommendations for patriotic education at federal sites, including national parks and monuments.
In addition to the new commission, Trump is also ordering federal agencies to prioritize patriotic education in the delivery of federal resources, according to the White House fact sheet. Educational institutions that receive federal funds would be required to observe Constitution Day.
Trump has attacked the 1619 Project as a distortion of U.S. history and announced in September that he would appoint his own commission to promote "patriotic education." His opponents regard the move as an appeal to white voters displeased with a focus on slavery and race relations in grade-school history classes.
"The United States of America was founded on the belief that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are unalienable rights – these principles form the core of our American identity," the White House announcement said. "Unfortunately, some versions of American history offer a misconstrued and one-sided account of our founding in an effort to paint America as a systemically racist country."
Trump first announced his intention to form the commission in September.
Information from Bloomberg News was used in this report.
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