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Parents may want to avoid talking about politics with their kids (and each other!). But in an election year, that’s easier said than done. Social media has burst the information bubble that once protected our kids, and discussions about curriculum and reading lists have brought politics to the forefront of the classroom, leading parents to ask what their kids are learning in school. These days, kids are joining the political conversation at an increasingly younger age, leaving many wondering and worrying about where the country is heading.
Parents can try to avoid talking about politics until November 5th, or they can use the election to raise more engaged, thoughtful citizens. And if the current debate on social media and television is frustrating, maybe it’s time to look back.
What does it mean to be an American? Thomas Jefferson called the Declaration of Independence “the expression of the American spirit,” but there was little agreement in 1776. About one-fifth of Americans were Loyalists, many of whom had emigrated to Canada. Many were skeptical of “inalienable rights.” They asked, where do rights come from? What does it mean to believe that all men are created equal? Even today, debates continue about the idea of America, the nation, and the meaning of our founding.
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How do we achieve equality? Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863, acknowledging that slavery was antithetical to the founding ideals of the nation. Lincoln argued that the Civil War was a test of “whether a nation thus conceived and dedicated could long stand.” Though the outcome of the Civil War was uncertain, millions of Americans, black and white, risked their lives to ensure that these ideals would endure in the United States. Lincoln’s 272 words at Gettysburg provide a lens through which to discuss what equality means today and the challenges we still face.
Tomorrow night, perhaps it’s time to return to history. Talk with your kids about what it means to be an American.
Lesser-known presidents also influenced America’s great debate. James Garfield, who was fatally wounded just four months into his presidency, recognized the importance of the Reconstruction Amendments. He said that their raising of black Americans “from a state of servitude to the rights of full citizenship” was the most significant political change since the adoption of the U.S. Constitution. Grover Cleveland, who was president for only three years, captured the importance of ideas over politics when he asked, “What is the point of being elected or re-elected if you do not stand for something?”
What is the purpose of American foreign policy? With the post-Cold War order under attack in Ukraine and the Middle East, and tensions rising in the Indo-Pacific region, this question looms large. George Washington, in his Farewell Address, at a time when America was not yet the leading power in the world, advised us to “uphold honesty and justice towards all nations, and to build peace and harmony with all men.” Almost 150 years later, Woodrow Wilson declared that America’s role then was to make the world “safe for democracy.” The Truman Doctrine laid the foundation for American policy throughout the Cold War. After 9/11, George W. Bush embodied Jacksonian thought when he vowed at Ground Zero that “those who destroyed these buildings will soon hear us all.” America’s role in the world has been shaped by historical context and traditions. And presidents have debated all of them.
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Key questions about the future are the potential for scientific advancement and the role of government in innovation. John F. Kennedy wondered whether the United States could maintain technological leadership after Sputnik in the space race. But in 1962, he declared that the United States would not go to the moon because it would be easy, but because it would be hard. Seven years later, that vision was realized. Today, with incredible innovations like artificial intelligence and synthetic biology, we may be on the brink of a new age of invention. And just as in the Cold War, we face a great power technological competitor, this time China.
Divisive or uninspiring political rhetoric is nothing new. But the words of leaders matter. Parents often tell their children to “use their words” to communicate their opinions. Parents may naturally want to protect their children from harmful debates, but especially as children grow up, they will learn about our politics. It is part of being a citizen. And in the midst of the heated debates over the Constitution, John Adams wrote that “children ought to be educated and instructed in the principles of liberty.”
Ignoring that mission or leaving the education of the next generation to the internet and bad actors is no way for an autonomous republic to sustain itself.So where do we start?
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In his farewell speech, President Ronald Reagan reminded us that “all great change in America begins at the dinner table.”
Tomorrow night, perhaps, it’s time to return to history, to talk about what it means to be an American. After all, Reagan concluded, “it’s a very American thing.”
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