Civics 101: Why Every American Should Know the Constitution

When we don’t know how government is supposed to work, we’re less likely to notice when it doesn’t.

The old saying goes, “Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” But there’s a corollary worth remembering: “Those who don’t know civics are doomed to lose their freedom.”

We used to teach civics in school. Not just “how a bill becomes a law,” but the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, due process, separation of powers—the building blocks of our democratic republic. Today? Not so much. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only twenty-three percent of eighth graders scored “proficient” in civics.

That scares me. It should scare you, too.

Because when we don’t know how government is supposed to work, we’re less likely to notice when it doesn’t.