Glenn Beck’s American Journey Experience Joins U. S. Dept. of Education History Rocks! Trail to Independence Tour

  • Feb. 9, 2026

    In December 2025, Glenn Beck’s American Journey Experience announced a partnership with the U.S. Department of Education. According to a press release, the American Journey Experience will participate in the U.S. Secretary of Education’s “History Rocks! Trail to Independence” Tour.

    According to the American Journey Experience press release, AJE has officially joined the American 250 Civics Education Coalition and is partnering with the U.S. Department of Education, America First Policy Institute, and more than 40 state and national organizations. The American Journey Experience website says, “Through the History Rocks! Tour, AJE educators will join U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to bring students, teachers, and families face-to-face with real American history through hands-on interaction with original artifacts, story-driven educational experiences, and immersive stories from the AJE collection.”

    The American Journey Experience is an Irving, Texas-based museum and research library established by Glenn Beck and co-founder David Barton, an evangelical Christian author and political activist. David Barton is also one of the American Journey Experience’s primary expert speakers and a leading historical expert, although Barton does not speak on the History Rocks! Trail to Independence Tour.  The American Journey Experience states it is dedicated to preserving and sharing the story of America through original artifacts and primary-source documents. The museum focuses on American history from Christopher Columbus to the Space Race.

    Who is David Barton?

    David Barton is a controversial evangelical Christian author and political activist who founded WallBuilders. He co-hosts the Christian talk radio show, Wallbuilders Show. On his Feb. 9, 2026, episode, he discussed Reclaiming History In American Schools, he argues, “NAEP’s history proficiency hovers near the floor, and many states do not even test history at the end of the course. We offer concrete fixes: restore end-of-course exams in U. S. history, tie merit pay to civic outcomes, and require standards that teach both the Declaration’s principles and the Constitution’s framework.” Barton’s biblical worldview version of History will not help these educational issues.

    In 2012, the Christian publisher Thomas Nelson decided to pull and cease publication of David Barton’s book The Jefferson Lies: Exposing the Myths You’ve Always Believed About Thomas Jefferson. The book’s publisher cited a “loss of confidence” in the book’s accuracy, stating that the historical details were “not adequately supported”. Professional historians and scholars, including fellow evangelicals, criticized the book for containing numerous factual errors and “distortions”. Specifically, they noted that Barton inaccurately claimed that Thomas Jefferson was a “conventional Christian” and falsely asserted that Virginia law prevented Jefferson from freeing his slaves, and he was criticized for portraying Jefferson as a “civil rights visionary” despite his actual record as a slaveholder. For more information about Barton, “Telling Jefferson Lies: Debunking the Myth that America was Founded as a Christian Nation”

    Barton also founded the Truth & Liberty Coalition in Woodland Park, Colorado, alongside Andrew Wommack, Lance Wallnau, Bill Federer, Karen Conrad, and Richard Harris. The Truth & Liberty Coalition created Transform Colorado, which produced several school board voter guides for Colorado School Board Elections. David Barton is also on the Texas Social Studies Curriculum Advisory Panel with Civics Alliance, David Randall, and Jordan Adams, who convinced the Pennridge, PA School Board to adopt the Hillsdale 1776 Curriculum. The Pennridge School Board terminated the contract with Jordan’s education consulting business, Vermillion.

    Parents Protest History Rocks! Trail to Independence Tour

    As Secretary McMahon has journeyed on the History Rocks! Trail to Independence Tour, parents in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois have protested, and a scheduled visit to Murphy High School in Mobile, Alabama, was canceled. In New Jersey, Alison DeNoia, a Colts Neck resident and former local school board member, objected to the nature of McMahon’s visit. “It’s extreme,” DeNoia said. “The agenda for Turning Point USA is to promote Christian nationalism, and New Jersey’s public schools are nonpartisan.” U.S. Education chief pushes patriotic curriculum at Jersey Shore school.- U.S. Education chief pushes patriotic curriculum at Jersey Shore school

    Additional American Journal Experience America’s 250 Anniversary Events

    An American Journey Experience Research Specialist has held at least one Patriot Academy Biblical Citizenship Course presentation at a Church. Patriot Academy is a conservative educational non-profit organization focused on training citizens in civics, leadership, and constitutional principles from a Biblical worldview. Founded in 2003 by former Texas State Representative Rick Green, its mission is to “restore our Constitutional Republic” by equipping “citizen leaders” to influence government and culture.

    In May 2026, the American Journey Experience, in partnership with Glenn Beck, Mercury One, and WallBuilders, will be hosting a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Guests will hear from Moms For Liberty CEO Tina Descovich.

    Final Thoughts

    Secretary McMahon’s History Rocks! Trail to Independence Tour plans to make a stop in every State. When the tour stops in Colorado, a bit of advice: if the History Rocks! Tour stops at your child’s school; you may want to request a review of the event content. If the content is not something that you support for your child’s education, keep your child home for the day. It is extremely concerning that far-right Christian organizations are a part of the History Rocks! Tour, Colorado Public Schools serve student populations from diverse religious backgrounds, and to religiously indoctrinate students through a History/Civics event is unacceptable and does not align with Colorado’s Social Studies Academic Standards.

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