12/4/2023

Last week’s curation at RealClear’s American Civics portal begins with Jack Miller Center President Hans Zeiger recounting the JMC’s recent National Summit on Civic Education in Philadelphia. There, “200 civics advocates, leaders, and funders” came together, some “working in one city or region” and others “working on a nationwide scale,” to “tackle our civic education challenge.” He specifically notes the bipartisan nature of this gathering: “In the room were people from every part of the country, Republicans and Democrats and independents, bringing different perspectives and life stories.” Zeiger says that participants “discussed recent developments on the civics landscape—from innovative Schools of Civic Thought that are forming on public university campuses across the country, to the Educating for American Democracy framework for K-12 civic education, to new ways of engaging students in civic learning like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s National Civics Bee.” He saw a great energy and passion for new ideas and ways to restore civics to its rightful place in American life. Even though there was disagreement at times during the Summit, Zeiger says that the participants nevertheless shared “a commitment to the country, and to the ideals to which we pledged our allegiance at the opening of the Summit—‘to the republic…one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.’”

At Law & Liberty Michael Lucchese critiques a recent essay by Michael Lind on the founding fathers. “Despite what Lind thinks, the American Founding is not a dead letter. Our Constitution is rooted in eternal principles that point the way towards true social renewal,” Lucchese writes. “The ideas that animated the Founding are still full of vital energy, and the actual deeds of the Founders can serve as models for political action.” He argues that Lind is correct that the founding has been contorted by some of the Right, making it more individualistic than it was, putting a premium on a particular understanding of “individual liberty over a vision for the common good.” “By denigrating the Founding, however,” Lucchese argues that “Lind is seriously neglecting the actual common good the nation was constituted to secure.” He contends that the Founders gave power to the federal government—and especially the states—under the Constitution “precisely because they wanted it to energetically secure the common good.” “As we reckon with serious challenges,” Lucchese concludes, “the words and deeds of the Founders should serve as an inspiration and a guide.”