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Civic ignorance — is it the school’s responsibility?

Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter, a George H.W. Bush appointee, spoke about “civic ignorance” in 2012 at the University of New Hampshire School of Law. His words have particular relevance in this 2016 election season. To understand what Justice Souter refers to as civic ignorance, a dictionary definition is a place to start.

“Civic refers to citizenship.” Souter’s discussion about civic ignorance pertains to our knowledge and understanding of our democratic form of governance, with its three branches operating under a constitution and by-laws that spells out the roles and responsibilities for governmental officials and our citizens.

Ignorance is not simply a lack of knowledge about the structures of our democratic form of governance; it implies a lack of understanding that often translates into impatience with the processes used in the transaction of our civic affairs. Civic ignorance is largely a byproduct of ineffective education, which Jefferson warned would contribute to our downfall.

Justice Souter said, “I don’t worry about our losing republican government in the United States because I’m afraid of a foreign invasion. I don’t worry about it because I think there is going to be a coup by the military, as has happened in some other places. What I worry about is that when problems are not addressed, people will not know who is responsible. And when the problems get bad enough, as they might do, for example, with another serious terrorist attack, as they might do with another financial meltdown, some one person will come forward and say, ‘Give me total power, and I will solve this problem.’

“That is how the Roman Republic fell. Augustus became emperor not because he arrested the Roman Senate. He became emperor because he promised that he would solve problems that were not being solved.

“If we know who is responsible, I have enough faith in the American people to demand performance from those responsible. If we don’t know, we will stay away from the polls. We will not demand it, and the day will come when someone will come forward, and we in the government will, in effect, say, ‘Take the ball and run with it, and do what you have to do.’

“That is the way democracy dies, and if something is not done to improve the level of civic knowledge, that is what you should worry about at night.”

Improving the level of civic knowledge and understanding is a responsibility of our schools.

Solving the problems connected with civic ignorance begins when those in decision-making roles acknowledge that schools have major responsibilities for the current state of affairs. The extent of civic ignorance is obvious in the current political discourse, and there is demonstrated a widespread ignorance about what to do about it.

Democratic processes require a tolerance for ambiguity and a willingness of all citizens to examine rigid positions regarding the application of their values. These are personal orientations that can be developed in schools. Absent these orientations, democratic processes are hindered or prevented from happening.

Many citizens assume positions in politics that reflect an ignorance about and a lack of tolerance for democratic processes. Education in its present form does little to affect the development of attitudes, values and personal orientations required for conducting democratic processes. Implications for sustaining a democratic republic within ever-increasing global-connections places a heavy burden on schools that cannot be ignored. If we do not move now to correct this situation, we risk enduring the same results as with the Roman Republic before us.

In a recent publication of the Sons of the American Revolution Foundation, a national organization, announcing an effort to ensure a commitment to our democracy and its processes, it “seeks to help fill the ever-increasing gap in history and civics education within our school systems through its newly developed Center for Advancing America’s Heritage.”

They explain that “since the 1960s, the American education system has consistently reduced the amount of time/emphasis spent on social studies and history relating to our system of government, our founding fathers and our struggle for independence during the American Revolution. This trend affects our ability to teach our children the stories of our past to better understand the issues of today.”

Recognizing the need for increased emphasis on history in the school curriculum is a positive development. Increased emphasis can help preserve our constitutional form of governance and make a positive contribution toward the elimination of civic ignorance. The question remains, however: What kinds of experience offered in schools will develop an understanding and lasting commitment to the principles of democracy that translates into an understanding of the issues of today?

The Valcour Battle Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution has launched a program to address this question. It is based on a belief that young learners can find excitement in learning history and become life-long learners of history if they participate in learning using the materials and tools of inquiry that belong to historians. The Valcour Chapter of SAR has introduced its plan under the title “America’s Past Through the Eyes of Local History.” A website at www.americaspastthroughtheeyesoflocalhistory.com invites participation.

Check it out, and give us your thoughts.

Robert L. Arnold, professor emeritus of education, lives in Willsboro. His third great-grandfather managed the munitions depot in Springfield, Massachusetts, during the American Revolution, he has an ancestor who signed the Declaration of Independence, and he is proud that many other ancestors were veterans of the revolutionary campaign for freedom.

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