A republic handed down, then forgotten: on the growing peril of civic ignorance in a free people

The survival of a republic is dependent on a wide variety of factors. The great states of Rome and other historical examples share one major similarity. In the spirit of the age, they abandoned their past. They forgot about the systems that they held so dear. These people forgot about their heritage of rejecting tyranny and embracing a government of, by, and for the people. The alarming truth is that these same events are creeping into our own public square. Videos are commonplace that expose this. The government created by the people is now being chosen by people unfamiliar with its system. The greatest threat to the American experiment lies within. 

The Founding Fathers, in their wisdom, recognized the possibility of something like this happening and feared it. George Washington said in his 8th annual message to Congress, “The primary object should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic, what species of knowledge can be equally important? What duty more pressing on its legislature, than to patronize a plan for communicating it to those, who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?” Washington realized that without education about the republic’s system, those who would defend the country and her liberties would fail. They would stray from the path. 

Thomas Jefferson, the man behind the document that laid out so many core principles, said this, “An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic. Self-government is not possible unless the citizens are educated sufficiently to enable them to exercise oversight.” Jefferson foresaw the dangers as well. Without a citizenry that has enough knowledge, the republic is doomed to fail.

Studies are now beginning to show this horrific truth. A 2024 survey by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni showed a shocking lack of knowledge. 89% of students surveyed correctly identified that Amazon is owned by Jeff Bezos, compared with fewer than one-third who knew when the Constitution was written. This ACTA study contains similar findings. The U.S Chamber of Commerce Foundation conducted a similar survey. It found that more than 70% of Americans fail a basic civics test! But one does not need to simply peruse academic papers. This crisis can be seen from the comfort of the home of an individual. Next time that you disregard another street interview while scrolling through your platform of choice, stop and watch it. 

The street interview is a type of short-form content that has gained popularity in the last couple of years with the dawn of short-form video platforms. They are incredibly easy to create as well. All that is needed is a camera and a microphone. These are the greatest indications that the republic is in a crisis of knowledge. PragerU, which is a conservative organization, has documented this with a high degree of excellence. An individual approaches people on the street and asks basic questions. Questions such as, “When did the Second World War end?” “When was the Declaration of Independence signed?” “What are the three branches of government?” “What is the First Amendment?”, and one of the better ones, “When was the War of 1812?”. The list is rather lengthy. The average person gets most of these wrong. The academics and content creators have reached the same conclusions. America faces a crisis, the likes of which she has not seen in the modern era.

“Those who forget the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them.” Most people who have taken a history class at the middle to high school level are familiar with this quote. If you forget history and its mistakes, you will repeat them. The truth is painfully clear. The survival of republican government depends on its citizenry having a thorough grasp of its system of government and its past. If not, the great experiment of America is doomed to fail. There is already evidence of past mistakes being repeated. Politicians who subscribe to socialist ideology have been elected to prominent offices across the nation. In history, socialism has never once been a solution to any problem. “Replacing the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism”, this is an idea that has hurt millions of people. America was built on the idea of rugged individualism. The men and women whose names we consider great went out and seized their opportunities. They made America great. To abandon this idea of the “American Dream” would be to abandon the spirit of America. Make no mistake, socialism is the enemy of America. The past must be remembered to ensure the survival of the republic.

So, America is left with a great question. “How to solve the civics crisis?” In his 1989 Farewell Address, Ronald Reagan offered some suggestions. Toward the end of the speech, he began to speak of the dangers to the American Spirit. He said that the spirit is there, but it’s not institutionalized as it was in earlier years. He stressed the need to learn history because freedom needs to be protected. “We’ve got to teach history based not on what’s in fashion but what’s important — why the Pilgrims came here, who Jimmy Doolittle was, and what those 30 seconds over Tokyo meant.” He also warned about the dangers of forgetting the past. “I’m warning of an eradication of the American memory that could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit.” He said to start with the basics: greater attention to American history and a greater emphasis on civic ritual. A final major point he made was about how simply change begins. “Let me offer lesson number one about America: All great change in America begins at the dinner table.”

How do we, the people, apply these suggestions to the current day? The Orrin G. Hatch Foundation proposed two main things. One is to teach a well-rounded curriculum that addresses both America’s faults and its triumphs. The other is to increase federal funding. Another proposition is a “layer cake approach”. This starts in kindergarten with very basic things and builds upward from there. The best option is a combination. Teach that America has had shortcomings, but that the nation is working to right the wrongs. Instruct that America has always been the shining city on the hill. Teach that America has done more than anyone, and she continues to fight for the idea that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

James Flynn is a junior member of the Multimedia Journalism class.

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James Flynn III

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