Clueless About America: Why Civics Education is Essential to America’s Health

by Daniel Reeder

I recently had a conversation with my father, who was questioning a long-held tenet of American Government, specifically the need for a judiciary free from political consideration. That conversation brought to mind an article I read some time ago in a legal publication about the need to teach Americans the rules of civics.

It was my father’s ignorance that most disturbed me. Here was a man who grew up in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, had gone to school, had excelled at school, and who could not conceive that an independent judiciary required the judiciary to remain unaffected by the buffeting winds of political and social turmoil. It became clear to me that his civics education had failed when, while I was quoting chapter and verse from the Federalist Papers, and other documents from the founding of the United States, my father simply looked at me and repeated his mantra that judges at the federal level needed to be replaced because they became too academic, and did not take into account what was happening in society.

Civics education in the United States is, at best, abysmal. Most Americans do not understand even the most basic rules about the structure of our government, beyond that it is tripartite, and that each branch is independent. Few Americans actually understand the purpose behind many of the constitutional rules and requirements against which they fight, such as the Electoral College, the United States Senate, and the lifetime appointments of Article III judges, not to mention the difference between the generic term “federal judge” and an Article III judge.

Now, you may be asking yourself, what is the purpose of this post, and why is it relevant to anything important? Well, what we have been seeing of late regarding constitutional issues, even on the floors of the House of Representatives and Senate, are the result of a poor education in civics. Examples of these problematic issues include discussions on such things as threats to impeach Article III judges over decisions with which Senators and Representatives disagree, or set term limits on Article III judges, as well as attempts to circumvent or abolish the Electoral College. These movements show what seems to be an appalling lack of interest in or awareness of the basic system of government set up when the framers of the Constitution drafted it. What makes that fact so disturbing is that even our elected representatives are not completely aware of what the Constitution says, and what the Constitution requires.

The point of this is, America should be focusing less on many of the other subjects that high schools have nowadays, such as computer science, communications, and other, less important courses. Math and science are important, but so are English, history, and, most important, civics. Civics, especially, is something that all Americans, regardless of their status in life, should know in and out. Many pieces of legislation and constitutional amendments are drafted without the author or cosponsors knowing what, exactly, they are doing. Many Americans support movements without understanding the reasons behind the systems and rules that they are opposing.

Frankly, we cannot afford any more undereducated voters or undereducated politicians. That is why civics education needs to be back as one of the most important subjects that American students take.

Daniel Reeder is a Third Year Law Student at Pennsylvania’s oldest law school. He was raised in Upstate New York, and spent four years in DC studying economics, international relations and theater. He also has been active in Republican and Conservative politics, especially campaigning for the election of John McCain and Sarah Palin.