Civics in Seconds

What are political parties and why do we have them? A political party is a group of people sharing similar views who organize to attain and exercise political power.   This is accomplished by selecting candidates to run for political office.    The selection process is often done through some type of […]

The saying that time heals all wounds may apply to love and forgiveness, but not so much to insurrections. On January 6, 2021, a mob of supporters of the former President entered the U.S. Capitol,[1] an attack that “disrupted a joint session of Congress convened to certify the presidential general […]

The term civility means courtesy and politeness.[1]  According to the Institute for Civility, the term civility refers to the ability to disagree without disrespect and to seek common ground as a starting point for dialogue.[2]  Civility is required for our government to work as it encourages free and open discussion […]

Every November 11th, we observe Veterans Day, an annual national holiday in which we honor veterans of the armed forces who have served in war and in peace.  Today, there are more than 18 million living veterans in the United States, representing about 6% of the country’s adult population.[1] According […]

On August 28, 1963, an estimated 250,000 people from across the country, assembled in Washington, D.C. for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.[1]  Its purpose was to protest racial discrimination and to show support for pending civil rights legislation in Congress. The March was a turning point in […]

Today, June 18th, we celebrate Father’s Day, a day set aside to honor and celebrate fathers and the influence our fathers have had on our lives. According to History.com, Father’s Day was established in the early 1900’s.  In 1908, a church in West Virginia sponsored a one-time event to honor […]

          Next week, America celebrates Juneteenth. Juneteenth honors the end of slavery in the United States. It marks the day, June 19, 1865, when federal troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas, to take control of the state and ensure that the state’s 250,000 slaves[1] were freed.[2]  […]

In politics, “woke” has many definitions and sometimes no definition at all. Listen to a political speech or commentary on a cable news station, and you may be left to wonder what being “woke” or “wokeism” really means. So what is wokeism?  According to the Cambridge Dictionary, wokeism is another […]

Today, Memorial Day is considered the unofficial beginning of Summer, punctuated with beaches and barbeques. However, the real meaning of Memorial Day is often lost in the proliferation of shopping deals and discounted sales. In May, 1868, according to the US Department of Veterans Affairs, three years after the Union […]

The U.S. Constitution was designed to establish a democracy, where the government is answerable to the people, where there is a separation of powers, and where individual rights are protected.[1] It is an American democracy where we as citizens, have the right to vote for our government officials. The citizens […]