Why do I have to take this class?

- Click here for the wiki.

- Click here for audio (wave file).
- Click here for audio (mp3)

In a nutshell, it is in order to preserve the governing system. The government of the United States is designed to be a democratic republic. This means that while authority (sovereignty) rests with the people, the actual operations of government – the legislative, executive and judicial powers – are delegated to institutions which are held accountable by the electorate. The problem with this arrangement is that the general population can be unruly and unstable. This can destabilize the governing institutions. History provides many examples of periods of instability ultimate leading to chaos, which can eventually lead the population to give up their claims to being the sovereign authority. It is willingly handed over to and individual or entity that will keep the peace, which is done at the expense of individual liberty. The men who were able to participate during the founding era believed that an educated population was best able to resist chaos by acquiring a rational understanding of governance and public policy, as well as the ability to properly comprehend the nature of contemporary events. The best way to do so was to ensure people were properly educated. Debate ensued over which level of government was best suited for doing so and as we will discuss later, the responsibility for education largely fell to the states. But many states – Texas included – wrestled with the same issues. The decision was ultimately made that an educated population was best able to ensure the continuance of a democratic republic. So that explains the government requirement.

For past blog posts on related subject matter:

- Civic Education.
- Is the American Public Rational?
- Keeping the Republic.
- Mob Rule.
- Political Ignorance.
- Political Knowledge.
- Political Participation.
- The Founders.
- The Republic.