Urgent Need for Citizenship Education
We live in a republic where
government depends on the actions of its citizens for its authority. The Declaration of Independence says,
explicitly, that governments derive “their just powers from the consent of the
governed”. To make this work most
effectively, citizens must be informed on how the US government is structured,
and on the norms and rules that guide good faith implementation of policy and
law.
Yet, our schools very often
require no education in civil government, no instruction on what it means to be
a citizen. We spend lots of money and
energy on STEM education but little on creating informed citizens who are
equipped to make choices on those who represent us. It may come as a surprise to many but the
structure put in place 231 years ago by our founders required, in James
Madison’s words, application of “political science”.
Our founders created a design
for government that was truly an innovation.
It was based on the principle that we are all equal before the law, and
have inherent rights bestowed on us by our Creator. Government is created to supply order and
structure, and security, to its citizens, and the citizens give up some of
their individual rights to empower the government to carry out its
functions. That government maintains its
role so long as it fulfills its ability to secure the Life, Liberty and
Happiness of its citizens.
To make choices on such an
important matter - how we are governed (not ruled) and by whom- citizens must
be well informed. They need a solid
grounding in the principles that are the foundation for our “government of
laws, not men”. Each citizen should be
able to make an autonomous decision, taking all views into consideration. They should have the courage to make choices
that may even run counter to strong influences.
In short, courage is required to be an effective citizen, and
citizenship education makes citizens “brave and enterprising”.
The strength of our republic
depends on the ability of our citizens to participate fully in the decision
making process to guide the nation. Our
founders wished its citizens to be capable of distinguishing between fact and
fiction, truth and lies. This cannot be
achieved when our citizenry is uninformed about the workings of government and
our guiding principles.
In today’s overheated
political environment, and with social media’s expansive influence, it is a
challenge to sort through the noise.
Even the best informed must wade through the clutter of claims and news
stories to reach a clear position. So
much is placed in front of us, we are left to making judgment calls based on
our best sense and reason. The effort
required can be daunting even frustrating, but it matters too much to fail to
make that effort. We need to be fully
equipped to make judgments that are good for the country.
John Adams said:” Liberty
cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people”. Yes, STEM education is very important for our
livelihoods, our work days. But we are
citizens ALL of the time. We need to
reestablish the importance of learning the Declaration of Independence, the
Constitution, and our history. We can no
longer neglect the task of maintaining an informed citizenry.
posted by Patrick @ 1:53 PM
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