Teaching grandchildren civics and history is probably not number one on your list of things to do.  It is, however, more apparent every day that our children no longer learn the history of America.  Nor do they learn how our government should run.  The reason seems simple, those are considered passe’ in today’s educational system.  That is far from the only reason.

Why Use Precious Time Teaching Civics and History?

Talking head shows take time, every now and then, to question college and university students, some of whom are ready to graduate.  These students appear dumb when they asked fairly simple questions.  The vacant looks in their eyes tells the whole story before they ever verbally answer.

Wild and Crazy Questions?.

When the interviewer asked students, from schools like Columbia University, questions about our country and how government works, I smiled.  Surely, almost graduates from that august body knew all the answers.

• Who was the first president of the United States?  2 of  10 knew
• Why do we have a flag?  0 of 10
• Can you say the Pledge of Allegiance?  0 of 10

No trick questions there; just simple, straightforward questions a fifth grader should know.  Our college and university students do not.

We Are Modern and History Is Boring

Today’s professors decry history and civics as boring in modern day America. When a countries toss aside their history, dictators move in to imprison the people.  It becomes one of the easiest ways to renew the horrors of slavery.  Removing civics and history allows the rise of another Hitler to destroy people he believes unworthy of living.  History – the wrong history – repeats itself.  Remember, before he became a dictator, Hitler taught school.

But If the Grandchildren Understand Freedoms…

Grandchildren do not understand the freedoms today.  Further interviewing of college and university kids proved it.  The talking head again visited Columbia, where some of the students prepared for their final year of an overly expensive education.

• Name our Freedoms.   0 of 10
• Name two of our Freedoms  0 of 10
• Name ONE of our Freedoms – crickets, as not one student knew anything about this country or its freedoms.

Teaching Them Civics and History – Where Do We Start?

How does one start that conversation?  Tell grandchildren of your youth and how things changed over the years. By all means, find a way to teach them the freedoms offered by this country, not all of which are offered elsewhere.

• First Amendment – gives the right to free speech, religion and to assemble.  This allows you to assemble freely whether in places like church or peaceful demonstrations.  We even have the freedom to speak against our government.
• Second  Amendment – protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms.  This guards against being taken over by dictatorial forces.
• Third Amendment – guards against forced quartering of soldiers in private homes during peacetime.
• Fourth Amendment – protects citizens from unreasonable searches and seizures.  Today this one appears to be broken too often.
• Fifth Amendment – keeps people from being forced to witness against themselves.  That is why many witnesses ‘plead the Fifth’.
• Sixth Amendment – allows a prisoner a quick and speedy trial by a jury of his/her peers.
• Seventh Amendment – codifies the right to a jury trial in certain civil cases.  Inhibits courts from overturning a jury’s findings of fact.
• Eighth Amendment – prohibits the federal government from imposing excessive bail, excessive fines, or cruel and unusual punishments.
• Ninth Amendment –  provides that the naming of certain rights in the Constitution does not take away from the people rights that are not named. Yet neither the language nor the history of the Ninth Amendment offers any hints as to the nature of the rights it was designed to protect.  James Madison tried to protect against these Amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, being the ONLY rights ever granted Americans.
• Tenth Amendment –  reserves to the states those powers neither delegated to the federal government nor denied to the states by the U.S. Constitution.  An essential addition, because our Constitution, although it gave us Federal rules to be handled by the Federal Government, did not want us to be one huge state. America is essentially a large country divided into fifty smaller ones.  Each small country or state retains the capability of handling the majority of its, own problems.  Over the years since the Constitution, as political parties fight for more power over all states, this amendment is in danger of being lost.  The people are also at fault, as they clamor for the Federal Government to solve problems which should be handled by the states.

What Happens If They Are Not Taught Civics and History?

Whatever happens should happen only with our grandchildren having the knowledge to approve or prevent it.  They must know how our government works.  Otherwise, the presumption that  everything a government does is right, is often deadly.  Will they rush into a dictator’s arms through ignorance?  Losing the ability to think for themselves and those whom they love, is a risk no one wants to take.  Never should they be willing to give away those most valuable freedoms in the Bill of Rights, without a fight.

How About the Move to Rid Us of Cursive Writing?

Did you know that cursive writing, or rather removing it from schools, is wrapped up in history and civics?  Today, we use our fingers or an inkless pencil to sign onto a computer and no one really reads those anyway, right? How about this – many of our important documents, like the Constitution, are written in cursive. If our children cannot read cursive, the ability  to read that magnificent document or others will be lost to them.   Should there be another move to burn all books, who will write new ones.  If that happens, computers have every change of being burned, too.

The few who do know cursive are relied on to translate those documents and may do so – to their own benefit. That is much like what happened with the Supreme Court the last decade or so – instead of enforcing the laws and Constitution, they began to translate it according to which way their politics leaned. And that is the danger.

Is It Worth It?

Do you think it’s worth keeping them informed instead of in the dark?  How about making certain they read cursive which allows them to read documents like our Constitution or an important portion of it called The Bill of Rights?  That ensures their children have a choice of being literate in civics, history and cursive.

For the Record

While some may believe this article is political, please know that is not my intention. Whatever your political belief, as long as our country is guided by a Constitution and Bill of Rights, all citizens should understand them. As for history, how will we know where we are headed as a nation, if we don’t know and understand from where we came?