Civics in Seconds

A successful democracy depends on the faith and involvement of the people.  The best way to participate is to vote, not only in the general election every four years, but in local elections, from school boards to local legislatures.  Voting always matters.  Even encouraging kids to vote in student body […]

Gerrymandering is the drawing of boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one political party an unfair advantage over another political party to dilute the power of certain voting groups.[i]  Moreover, this tactic presents a political question, rather than a Constitutional one and is therefore out of the […]

Civics in Voting From 1861 to 1865, our nation fought a Civil War over the central issue of slavery, that ended in the defeat of the Confederacy.  An estimated 620,000 men died in the line of duty.[i] 1865 to 1877 saw a period of Reconstruction where newly enfranchised Black people […]

Where the British monarchy ended in the colonies, a republic began in the United States.  The founding fathers were aware of just how fragile this new government would be.  This means that the power would rest in the citizens who would choose their representatives through voting. As the story goes, when Benjamin […]

This is the first of what I hope will be many discussions about the rights and responsibilities of what it means to be an American citizen. To understand where we are now as a nation, we need to reflect on our past.    My hope is that Civics in Seconds […]