Now more than ever, it seems, politics demands our attention. It is difficult to predict what developments await us in the coming week, much less the coming years of the Trump presidency. What will the geopolitical order look like by 2028? What will the federal government look like? What will the Democratic or Republican Parties look like?
But, intriguing as these questions may be, it is another set of “pre-political” questions that matter most. By pre-political I mean the ethical and civic principles that shape our engagement in matters of politics and policy. What are the constitutional values we must uphold as a free society? What is the purpose of government, and how should we balance it with forces like markets and civil society? How can we find belonging in a community of fellow human beings along with a sense of transcendent meaning and purpose?
In a self-governing republic, questions like these aren’t just important for philosophers in an ivory tower—they’re essential for all of us. After all, we the people are the stewards of our own political union and thus responsible for filling practical roles in its governance that require forethought, study, and skills.
That is why it is encouraging that the national civics organization iCivics has designated the week of March 10 as Civic Learning Week, with an array of educational activities, webinars, forums, and online content planned by partner organizations. Civics is so important to the functioning and very survival of our country—and the free world—that we ought to acknowledge it not only as the cause of a week but as the cause of our generation. From dismal scores on eighth-grade civics and history exams to depressing voter attitudes toward the state of American democracy, we face a national crisis of civic confidence that we cannot afford to ignore.
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The good news is that the civics movement is on the rise in America.
State legislators are taking up policy measures to advance civic literacy—from ensuring that students take the same naturalization exams that new citizens are required to pass, to making civics coursework a graduation requirement.
Civil society is also stepping up to the plate, with the quickly-growing National Civics Bee spearheaded by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, organized through local chambers of commerce, and underwritten in large measure by the Colorado-based Daniels Fund.
Speakers at the Jack Miller Center’s (JMC) recent National Summit on Civic Education in Philadelphia described a “civics renaissance”, especially as America’s 250th birthday approaches.
For Civic Learning Week, hundreds of nonprofit executives, funders, and educators will turn out for a National Forum at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution. Stanford is a fitting host for the forum, having recently instituted a course requirement focused on “the ideas and practices of democratic citizenship.” Stanford is also the sponsor of a new scholarly network called the Alliance for Civics in the Academy.
A growing number of other collegiate initiatives from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins to the School of Civic Leadership at the University of Texas at Austin, and from the Purdue Civics Literacy program to the University of Florida’s Hamilton Center, are finding creative and inspiring ways to recover the civic mission of higher education. A coalition of leading higher education stakeholders recently released a report to encourage a paradigm shift toward civic purpose in academia, and the JMC, where I serve as president, is driving strategic investments toward scholars who teach the foundations of American self-government.
Every American can do their part to study the fundamentals of our free society and pass along a sense of civic responsibility to the next generation. Parents can get some useful ideas on how to do their part by reading Lindsey Cormack’s wonderful book, How to Raise a Citizen (And Why It’s Up to You to Do It). Teachers can sign up for outstanding professional development programs offered by organizations from the National Constitution Center to the Ashbrook Center and the JMC’s Founding Civics Initiative. Veterans can volunteer for time-tested civics programs like the American Legion’s Boys State and Boys Nation programs. Donors can give to high-impact organizations such as those profiled in Philanthropy Roundtable’s Civics Playbook. Civic Learning Week would be a perfect time to get involved.
By the time America’s 250th birthday comes around next year, let’s ensure that the civics renaissance is moving forward at full steam. America’s survival depends on civic education—let’s all do our part to advance the cause for another 250 years.
Hans Zeiger is president of the Jack Miller Center (www.jackmillercenter.org), a nonprofit venture to build and empower a network of scholars who have committed their careers to teaching America’s founding principles and history.
