Kelsey Grammer is escalating his criticism of American history education as he promotes a new civics project tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary.
During an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast, the Frasier star used the term “child abuse” to describe lessons that he believes teach students to view the United States primarily through its failures.
Grammer argued that children who repeatedly hear that America is a bad country may begin questioning whether being American makes them bad. He did not identify a particular school, curriculum or educator responsible for the approach he criticized.
His remarks follow an earlier interview in which he called for an overhaul of the education system and warned that people without a clear understanding of their history become easier to control.
Grammer Says Some Lessons Leave Children Ashamed of America
Grammer made the comparison while discussing what he considers an overly negative presentation of American history. “What they’re doing to children in school today is child abuse,” he said in the podcast clip shared by TMZ.
He argued that students are sometimes taught that the United States is fundamentally bad, which could lead them to feel ashamed of their national identity. Grammer did not cite research demonstrating that this is a widespread result of history instruction.
He Says People Who Do Not Know Their History Can Be Controlled
Grammer presented a similar argument during a July appearance on Tyrus’ Planet Tyrus. “If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know who you are,” he said, according to Fox News. “If you don’t know who you are, you can be controlled.”
The actor called for the education system to be “retooled” and objected to dismissing the Founding Fathers as “old White guys in wigs.” He noted that Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he drafted the Declaration of Independence and described the American Revolution as a movement based on ideas rather than appearance.
“It never had anything to do with the way you looked,” Grammer said. “It had everything to do with the way you thought and the way you dreamed.”
His Recent Projects Have Focused on the American Revolution
Grammer played Thomas Fairfax in Young Washington, a historical drama following George Washington during the French and Indian War, before he became commander of the Continental Army and the first U.S. president.
Grammer also hosted the six-part Fox Nation series The Patriot War, which follows the fight for independence through Revolutionary-era figures including Washington and Alexander Hamilton.
He has said that working on those projects strengthened his interest in helping audiences reconnect with the people and principles behind the country’s creation.
Grammer Will Host 250 Short American History Videos
Grammer is a co-founder of The American Revelation, a civics and history initiative developed around the United States’ semiquincentennial. The project includes a mobile app, educational essays, quizzes, community activities and a book covering major events across 250 years of American history.
Its central video series will consist of 250 approximately three-minute episodes hosted by Grammer. Each installment will focus on one year, highlighting significant events, influential figures and defining moments from that period.
The foundation says the videos are being designed for daily distribution through its app and for use in schools, homes, libraries and other public institutions.