• Home
  • Opinion
  • Quizzes
  • Redistricting
  • Sections
  • About Us
  • Voting
  • Events
  • Civic Ed
  • Campaign Finance
  • Directory
  • Election Dissection
  • Fact Check
  • Glossary
  • Independent Voter News
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Subscriptions
  • Log in
Leveraging Our Differences
  • news & opinion
    • Big Picture
      • Civic Ed
      • Ethics
      • Leadership
      • Leveraging big ideas
      • Media
    • Business & Democracy
      • Corporate Responsibility
      • Impact Investment
      • Innovation & Incubation
      • Small Businesses
      • Stakeholder Capitalism
    • Elections
      • Campaign Finance
      • Independent Voter News
      • Redistricting
      • Voting
    • Government
      • Balance of Power
      • Budgeting
      • Congress
      • Judicial
      • Local
      • State
      • White House
    • Justice
      • Accountability
      • Anti-corruption
      • Budget equity
    • Columns
      • Beyond Right and Left
      • Civic Soul
      • Congress at a Crossroads
      • Cross-Partisan Visions
      • Democracy Pie
      • Our Freedom
  • Pop Culture
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
      • American Heroes
      • Ask Joe
      • Celebrity News
      • Comedy
      • Dance, Theatre & Film
      • Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
      • Faithful & Mindful Living
      • Music, Poetry & Arts
      • Sports
      • Technology
      • Your Take
  • events
  • About
      • Mission
      • Advisory Board
      • Staff
      • Contact Us
Sign Up
  1. Home>
  2. Newsletter>

In this issue: A Birthday for the Bill of Rights, meet a reformer, conflicts over history education and thermostatic politics.

The Fulcrum
December 15, 2021



TOP STORY

Happy 230th birthday, Bill of Rights

David Meyers

In September 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the document that would become the framework for the new U.S. government. However, that was just the beginning of a process that would not be complete for another three years.

On Dec. 15, 1781, Virginia became the 11th state to ratify the first 10 amendments to the Constitution — what became known as the Bill of Rights — and completed a compromise begun years earlier.

Today we celebrate the 230 anniversary of that vote.

Keep Reading...

DEBATE

Meet the Reformer: Dakota Hall, connecting and empowering youth

Our Staff

Dakota Hall is the new executive director of the Alliance for Youth Action, a national network of local organizations that seek to empower young people and get them engaged in the political process writes Our Staff.

U.S. history curriculum should focus on education, not indoctrination

Lawrence Goldstone

As with so much of the bickering that plagues the nation, the conflict over the teaching of U.S. history has coalesced around questions of race, with each side accusing the other of substituting indoctrination for education. Unfortunately, both are correct, writes Lawrence Goldstone, a writer whose most recent book is "On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights."

PODCAST

Podcast: What is thermostatic politics?

Our Staff

In this episode of the Politics in Question podcast, the team discusses thermostatic politics to explain what it means and how it works.

Listen now

Want to write
for The Fulcrum?

If you have something to say about ways to protect or repair our American democracy, we want to hear from you.

Submit
Get some Leverage Sign up for The Fulcrum Newsletter
Follow
Contributors

Reform in 2023: Leadership worth celebrating

Layla Zaidane

Two technology balancing acts

Dave Anderson

Reform in 2023: It’s time for the civil rights community to embrace independent voters

Jeremy Gruber

Congress’ fix to presidential votes lights the way for broader election reform

Kevin Johnson

Democrats and Republicans want the status quo, but we need to move Forward

Christine Todd Whitman

Reform in 2023: Building a beacon of hope in Boston

Henry Santana
Jerren Chang
latest News

A few lawmakers make election legislation a priority in 2023

David Meyers
14h

Part III: The failed constitutional convention campaign finance marketplace

J.H. Snider
14h

House Speaker McCarthy’s powers are still strong – but he’ll be fighting against new rules that could prevent anything from getting done

Stanley M. Brand
20 January

Your Take: Securing top secret documents

Our Staff
20 January

Like Citizens United, Moore v. Harper could haunt American democracy

David O'Brien
20 January

Time for new presidential candidates in 2024

Steve Corbin
19 January
Videos

Video: Meet the citizen activists championing primary reform

Our Staff

Video: Veterans for Political Innovation - Who we are

Our Staff

Video: Want to fight polarization? Take a vacation!

Our Staff

Video: Kevin McCarthy is Speaker, but he's got a tough job ahead

Our Staff

Video: #ListenFirst Friday End of Year

Our Staff

Video: Minnesota Gov. Walz asks fellow Democrats to ‘Think Big’ when it comes to fixing voting issues

Our Staff
Podcasts

Video: Chaos or calm: Building confidence in Pennsylvania elections

Our Staff
19 January

Podcast: Pushing back against polarization

Our Staff
18 January

Podcast: Nationalism, race, and American party politics

Our Staff
17 January

Podcast: Turmoil among House Republicans: Is the political system to blame?

Our Staff
16 January
Recommended
A few lawmakers make election legislation a priority in 2023

A few lawmakers make election legislation a priority in 2023

Elections
Part III: The failed constitutional convention campaign finance marketplace

Part III: The failed constitutional convention campaign finance marketplace

State
Video: Meet the citizen activists championing primary reform

Video: Meet the citizen activists championing primary reform

Elections
House Speaker McCarthy’s powers are still strong – but he’ll be fighting against new rules that could prevent anything from getting done

House Speaker McCarthy’s powers are still strong – but he’ll be fighting against new rules that could prevent anything from getting done

Government
Your Take: Securing top secret documents

Your Take: Securing top secret documents

Your Take
Like Citizens United, Moore v. Harper could haunt American democracy

Like Citizens United, Moore v. Harper could haunt American democracy

Justice