Thoughts for the Fourth of July

In honor of the Fourth of July, I have been doing some reading on the Founding Fathers. One thing jumped out at me this time because of its relevance today. The Founding Fathers, especially Jefferson, believed that good education was critical for an effective democracy. They wanted strong K-12 (free and for all citizens) and strong independent and diverse newspapers (for adult education). Only informed people could vote intelligently. Others would be “easily manipulated by demagogues” (Glenn Beck ring a bell??), and susceptible to conspiracy theories (Obama birthers perhaps). My immediate thought was that Thomas Jefferson is rolling over in his grave.

What have we done to education? No Child Left Behind has focused our schools on math and science. It is understandable that if federal money is available to support math and science, schools will cut civics and government education. And when we use multiple choice exams, it is also understandable that teachers will focus on teaching to the test and less on general skills like information literacy and critical thinking.

Then look at the newspaper industry. General newspapers are in decline. Many of us get our news from partisan sources on the left or right that agree with our own biases. The Founding Fathers expected that responsible citizens would read opinions of all kinds before coming to their own conclusions, especially on who to vote for. Do any of us do that today?

For an interesting read (or listen) on the subject, try this.

Am I being too cynical? Or does my previous post on happiness balance me out?