Actor Kelsey Grammer has voiced concerns about the state of American education, asserting that citizens who are unfamiliar with the nation's founding history are at risk of being manipulated. Grammer made these remarks on the program “Planet Tyrus,” where he advocated for a significant reform of the U.S. education system.
Grammer pushed back against those who dismiss the Founding Fathers, characterizing them as merely "old White guys in wigs." He emphasized the importance of understanding national origins, stating, "If you don’t know where you come from, you don’t know who you are. If you don’t know who you are, you can be controlled." He further asserted, "There’s a whole bunch of things that just have got to stop with our educational system, and we got to retool it. There’s no question."
Grammer, who recently portrayed a young George Washington in the film "Young Washington" and hosted the Fox Nation series "The Patriot War" exploring the American Revolution, believes that the nation's past provides a crucial blueprint for its future. He expressed that many young people are currently disregarding this historical foundation.
"Yeah, I’m pretty tired of the old White guy in [a] wig thing," Grammer told Tyrus. "I mean Thomas Jefferson was 33 when he wrote what is arguably the most important political document in the history of man." He highlighted that the American Revolution was driven by radical ideas and a pursuit of principles, not by identity. "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, and that’s all America."
Grammer suggested that the Founding Fathers did not intend to create a perfect nation but rather envisioned a continuous effort towards improvement. "The land of the possible. Yeah, absolutely. It’s always [going to] fall a little short, but that’s just it. It’s the world of becoming. We’re becoming a more perfect union, always, rather than we just are one," he explained.
He also drew attention to the sacrifices made by the signatories of the Declaration of Independence. Grammer noted that many of the 56 signers "ended in ruin" after dedicating everything to the nation, with some suffering personal tragedies such as the murder of children or the rape of wives. He concluded that their enduring spirit of resilience in difficult times remains relevant today. "They paid the ultimate sacrifice, the ultimate one. And they would probably do it again. And I think that sort of character is what still is in most of us. I believe in America that way," Grammer said.