Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio gave perhaps the best speech of the second Trump administration against the stunning backdrop of the Acropolis in Greece. In it, he not only traced America’s democratic lineage to ancient Athens, but also reflected on how Greece gave birth to the idea of the hero and the Western spirit of adventure.
The speech was a reminder of the greatness of Western Civilization—but only for those capable of remembering. Unfortunately, many American students would have no idea what Secretary Rubio was talking about, all because of a little-remarked-upon shift in American education about a century ago that removed traditional history education.
Most parents presume their children learn the full breadth of world history at school, but they are sadly mistaken. AP exams are considered the gold standard for high school education in America, yet there is no mention of ancient Greece on the AP World History exam, which was rewritten in 2019. AP testmaker, the College Board, promised an ancient world AP exam at the time of the rewrite, but never launched it. That means a student who takes the most common AP history sequence coupled with the high school curricula designed for the exams will never learn about the ancient Greek world.
This omission isn’t an oversight, but the result of an over-a-century-old educational transformation. Previously, history education asked students to commit dates to memory, learn about monumental figures, and grasp the arc of civilization.They memorized and recited grand speeches, etching the words and deeds of renowned figures into their minds and hearts.
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