ABOUT
ABOUT THE AMERICAN HISTORY EDUCATION PROJECT
The American History Education Project seeks to instill in our children and grandchildren an appreciation for the epic of American exceptionalism by sharing with them the triumphant stories of the pursuit of liberty, our struggles to live up to our declaration that “all men are created equal,” and the beacon that America has been to the world as the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”
These inspiring stories constitute the passing of the torch of liberty to the next generation so that they in their turn can prosper and flourish while preserving and extending our exceptional American heritage for the generations to come.
“The position of the Americans is therefore exceptional, and it may be believed that no other democratic people will ever be placed in a similar one.” - Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
WHY ARE WE DOING THIS?
We believe that the virtues and values of American Exceptionalism are the building blocks of the American Dream and have brought prosperity not only to America but to the world.
We believe that American Exceptionalism is a beacon of hope to people everywhere who seek freedom, opportunity, prosperity and a better life for their children.
We believe that if the virtues and values of American Exceptionalism are not passed on to the next generation they will be extinguished.
We believe the virtues and values of American Exceptionalism are under assault by believers in an extreme ideology that has largely captured our public schools.
We believe the family has the primary responsibility for passing on the virtues and values of American Exceptionalism to the next generation.
ABOUT OUR C0-FOUNDERS
Chris & Monica Cardiff
Chris and Monica Cardiff homeschooled their three daughters all the way through high school. Their daughters graduated with honors from major universities (UCSD, UCLA, and Virginia Tech) with STEM degrees. Together, Chris and Monica founded the largest homeschooling support group in Silicon Valley, All Ways Learning, where they served for over ten years.
Chris also served as the founding president of the California Homeschool Network, a statewide homeschooling organization whose mission is to protect the fundamental right of parents to educate their children in the manner they deem appropriate without interference by federal, state, or local agencies. You can read about his professional career and find links to some of the articles he’s written about education and homeschooling here.
Chris and Monica started the American History Education Project to help the next generation of homeschooling parents (and grandparents!) teach and share their values with their children. They were inspired by their own children and grandchildren who are co-developing and alpha testing all the AHEP material — and having a great time doing it!
Steve & Brianna Hicks
Steve and Brianna Hicks have been homeschooling their children for the last six years. Over the last year they have helped draft and test all of the modules for the American History Education Project. In addition to AHEP, they participate in Classical Conversations and Awana for their homeschooling curriculum.
Brianna was homeschooled through high school. For six years she served as editor of AWL News, the monthly newsletter of All Ways Learning, a homeschool support group in Silicon Valley. She also wrote the Picture Book of the Month review column for AWL News, which helped prepare her for developing the Great Picture Book curriculum that serves as the foundation for AHEP. Brianna has a PhD in Economics from Stanford University and vets all of the economic activities in AHEP. She also develops all of the Arts & Crafts activities. You can read about her professional career here.
Steve is a homeschooling dude dad. He enthusiastically leads and develops all of the Science activities for AHEP, instilling a love of math and science in the kids while teaching them the underlying concepts. Steve has a PhD in Physics from Cornell University. You can read about his professional career here.