About Us

We Want More History is a coordinated national day of programming to strengthen civic health, build community trust, foster democratic dialogue, and showcase the vital role of history in public life. It responds to growing efforts to narrow or politicize historical interpretation by activating trusted public institutions where people already gather to learn, reflect, and engage. At its core, the project amplifies public libraries as anchors of civic engagement, intellectual freedom, and community well-being (as articulated in the Urban Library Council’s Declaration of Democracy). It also centers public lands including national parks, state parks, and city parks as shared civic spaces where history is interpreted in place and connected to lived experience. Historians and educators are positioned as scholars and teachers committed to the public good through evidence-based, contextualized understanding of the past, in line with the mission of the Sierra Club, the Organization of American Historians, the American Historians Association, Urban LIbrary Council, and Association for Rural and Small Libraries, and place-based learning promoted by NCSS to promote excellence in scholarship, encourage wide public discussion, and advocate for history.

The project is designed to be visible, participatory, and replicable, creating a shared national moment while strengthening long-term relationships between libraries, historians, educators, land managers, and community partners. Timed to align with America 250-era programming, it ensures that national commemorations reflect the full, complex story of the people and places that make up the United States.