Civics Education in America
Watching the four U.S. Capitol Police Officers’ testimony during Tuesday’s House Select Committee’s investigation of the January 6th insurrection was gut-wrenching, and at times difficult to watch. Their personal account of what happened on the front lines gave a glimpse into the minds and intentions of the rioters.
Over the next few weeks, TFP will be exploring the role of civics education in America and what it means for our democracy.
We want to hear from educators on how a lack of understanding of ones’ role in a democracy and what it takes to make it viable could be a root cause for why it happened.
Whether or not having an informed understanding of our civic duty would have kept some from participating in the riots on January 6th, there are certainly lessons to be learned.
So you ask yourself – what forces are driving our fellow Americans
to join in on an attack on our Capitol? Then pledge to act to fight for democracy — and put an end to the authoritarian uprising spreading across the nation.
On civic education
“What were you fighting for,” Rep. Stephanie Murphy asked.
“Democracy,” MPD Officer Daniel Hodges responded.
If you didn’t have a chance to watch, NPR has four takeaways from Tuesday’s Select Committee hearing.
Parents and teachers were faced with how to talk to their kids and students about what happened on January 6th. This piece shows how a couple of teachers went about addressing the issue on the minds of their students immediately following the riots.
George Packer of The Atlantic asks, Can Civics Save America? We believe it can!
Take action
Turn up the heat this weekend with our new conversation starters on Third Parties, Running for Local Office, and Redistricting!
Are you or do you know a teacher seeking to promote civics education in the upcoming school year? We want to hear from you! Tell us your story!
Watch this space. A little bird tells us there will be new ways in the coming weeks to elevate your voice to bigger audiences.
We’re all in this fight together! Will you chip in $10 so we can continue to rally more citizens like you to defend our democracy?
