At my liberal arts college, I was required to take four science classes, two literature classes, two art classes, a Bible class, a writing class, and two “humanities” classes — but not one class on government or personal finance.
Without my own initiative, I could have been both civically and financially illiterate.
Most colleges and universities required a diversity of classes in order to provide a “balanced” education, yet academia has largely excluded government and basic life skills from these requirements. I learned how to properly dissect a squid, but never learned how credit scores work or how to balance a checkbook. Had I not elected to take a Constitutional Law class with my major, I wouldn’t have learned about the Constitution either.
In the 21st century, this is no longer acceptable. If colleges are going to require general education courses, they ought to require a course on the Constitution and civics.
One university’s regents are considering such an idea. According to the Daily Camera, “a handful of University of Colorado regents hope to implement a civic literacy requirement to educate the college’s students on the founding principles of the United States.”
Why is a course on the Constitution important? In short, it is what has made America great — enabling both social and economic progress for all Americans and the world since its passage in 1787.
Yes, for all Americans.
The reason and the need for this education couldn’t be more clear than after the Charlottesville attack. In the ensuing debate over statues and monuments, we have seen some Republicans equate Confederates with the Founders and watched those on the far-Left target the Founders’ monuments because some participated in slavery.
Both of these opinions are so devoid of the history of the Constitution and the Founders that I wish we could require all politicos to take a real history course.
Certainly, the accomplishments of the Founders outweigh any personal flaws, and when you add historical context, you can see that one of their accomplishments was enabling the abolition of slavery.
First, to their broader accomplishments.
Federalism, Separation of Powers, and the Bill of Rights gave more power to individuals and localities to control their own destinies, create and influence laws, and be protected from government abuse. While America has made grave errors, taken as a whole, our system of government has advanced individual liberty and has lifted more people out of poverty worldwide than any system of government in human history.
Whole books have been dedicated to their accomplishments, yet some still put them on the same level as Confederate leaders — who sought the destruction of our constitutional system, especially our Bill of Rights. There’s no comparison.
Further, those on the far-Left who seek the removal of Founders’ monuments truly don’t understand what they did to end slavery.
Most of the Founders, even those who still owned slaves, supported abolition.
Thomas Jefferson originally tried to include slavery in his list of grievances against the King in the Declaration of Independence. George Washington said, “I can only say that there is not a man living who wishes more sincerely than I do, to see a plan adopted for the abolition of it.” During the Constitutional Convention, James Madison said, “We have seen the mere distinction of color made in the most enlightened period of time, a ground of the most oppressive dominion ever exercised by man over man.” The first Supreme Court Chief Justice John Jay said, “It is much to be wished that slavery may be abolished. The honor of the States, as well as justice and humanity, in my opinion, loudly call upon them to emancipate these unhappy people. To contend for our own liberty, and to deny that blessing to others, involves an inconsistency not to be excused.”
There are numerous quotes from various Founders to this effect.
So why wasn’t abolition in the Constitution? The southern states would have never joined. So instead, the Founders put in place a political system that would ensure its future demise.
What enabled the crippling tariffs many southerners still blame for the Civil War? The voting and political formula in the Constitution. The same infamous constitutional clause that, on its face, is racist also minimized the number of congressmen and presidential electors in the south — enabling the political end of slavery. Add to that the Constitutional amendment process, which foresaw the need for civil rights amendments, and one can start to see the Founders had the vision to end that evil institution.
But, you’d never learn that without taking a good course on the Constitution.
Of course, mandating a class doesn’t ensure proper teaching, especially with the major left-wing bias on most campuses. However, making students think and understand our history is a noble goal, and more university systems should join the University of Colorado’s consideration of this new requirement.
This was originally published at Red Alert Politics.
Ron Meyer (@Ron4VA) is a contributor to the Washington Examiner’s Beltway Confidential blog. He is editor of Red Alert Politics (a sister publication to the Washington Examiner).
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