How did we learn about our government?

Was it in our families as Shelagh had spoken of in the diversity of hers? Was it in school, from books later in life, from visits to historic sites?

I had mentioned to Alice places one could visit to learn about our country: Mount Rushmore, Gettysburg, or Mount Vernon.

And when I wrote my historic novels, I studied our Constitution and Civil War. I thought how people could learn about our country from my novels: about immigrants and how they made their homes here, about the historic events their lives were part of. My original purpose in writing these books was for my grandchildren to learn about these events and how their family was involved.

So, how have we learned about our country, whether in the US or Canada or England? Is it through travel or just living our lives?

Carol

Carol,

Very good question. My answer--at home. My folks were fiscal conservatives --did noit even have a home mortgage. When they had extra cash they bought board and nails and built our house.
One was a Democrat and the other a Republican. I am neither. I like credit. I like completed houses. I like clothes.

I like action and completion not ideologies. Who cares how far left or right someone is, I have seen a different side of the political coin than some have. I went from being a showcase of health to being a showcase of highly expensive surgeries.

Fortunately we had very good health insurace. I want everone to have good coverage.

Gettysburg and Mount Rushmore are wonderful places--I haven't made it to Mount Vernon yet.

London is spectactular.

Best,

Alice

I learned about government when I received a letter that began "Greeting from the President."
After that came something to the effect: "Don't you know there's a war on? Drag your butt down to the draft board because you are about to start an all-expenses-paid long journey."

That reminds me of the recruiter on "Private Benjamin" who told Judy Benjamin that the army she was joining had condos and private rooms.

So, the president invites you to free travel, free accommodations, and a chance to meet new and interesting people.

Carol I learned it several ways - at school, from travelling, and also from reading and writing. The more I write, the more research I have to do.
The Canadian school system does a pretty good job teaching kids about where we are, where we've come from and how Canada fits into the world. It has also helped me to visit other places and see how we are seen from the outside. I didn't really learn much about Canada from my parents - they were both born in the UK and maintained a lot of ties and traditions to it, and although my mom came here when she was 5, she was really raised as a Brit.
I learned a lot about government and politics at the same school as Dick -- the left right left right left school of hard knocks...lucky for me when I joined there wasn't a war on. I was not yet old enough to vote, but was old enough to operate no end of lethal weapons...

When I was in school, Democracy was taught by a person who has not one ounce of the joy of teaching. He had nothing on his mind but dates.
There was a guy in my class who was 21 years old. The only class he lacked to graduate was Democracy. Every year, he came to that one class, over and over, with the same teacher. He never got it right, the teacher never saw him there or cared a whit or tried to make that subject something that would mean something in his life.

Gone are the days when students were told about Honest Abe, the cherry tree of Washington fame. Those amount to fairy tales. But those were the stories that I learned about government. They were lies. Lies, even though they were nice stories do not make it today.
I am afraid that I do not know much about our government through our education system. I think that many people really do not know who their senator is or representative, how many years they are there, or any other thing. Mindless, we are. Let other people decide all of that. How do we know, anyway? Do they come and talk to you? No they do the ads on tv and so people are at a loss. So they vote on a slogan, or someone else's say so. It is a wonder the system works at all.

Love,
Betty

I learned very little history in school. Most of my early learning came from books. Dates have always befuddled me. Did Columbus sail in 1942, 1492, 1462 or 1642? Those are ridiculous dates, but you get the idea of how my mind works. (Or doesn't work) My mother was always stirred up by politics, and it often escalated to frightening heights. I'm afraid it made me turn and run the other way. Most of my current knowledge is from having lived it, or being alive when it happened.

A 'meet the candidates' night at a local grange made me well aware of the value of shaking a candidates hand and watching their demeanor. Like presidential debates, you get to see them in a public forum, but they have no teleprompters in front of them. I was impressed by them all, and will attend more of the 'meet the candidates' in the future.

I don't always know how long their terms are, but I think all elected offices should have a 2 term limit.

I have learned that very few politicians are trustworthy as far as making their promises come to fruition. I am also aware that they must have massive cooperation from other elected officials to be able to fulfill their promises.

My family history has also taught me much as I went back through the generations to find fore fathers and mothers. Migrations from other countries and then through this land of ours. The whys and wherefores of their movements have fascinated me for a long time, now. The trials and tribulations of those who came by ship in the 1600's, those who were in the civil war, the migrations to get free land, and the many hardships endured leave me in awe of the ancestors.

Zada,

I agree about the family history. When I wrote about my family history linking it to what was happening in the world, like studying the vote for women and finding out Illinois officials passed a law giving women the vote in 1913 and was overwhelmed at the number of women turning out to vote in the first election they could. I decided my ancestral women would have been there.

Discovering an ancestor came over on the Mayflower (not one related to famous people to my family's chagrin, however) took me to studying the Mayflower.

I admired the middle school social studies teacher who had me come and speak about my book during her unit on the Civil War. She had the students each take a Civil War soldier they found online and find as much as they could about this person. She told them to search first on a family name.

I met a woman from Bulgaria last year who had grown up under Communism and was very happy that was part of the past. I asked about education under Communism and that I had heard it was very good. She answered that it was, but only learning one side of an issue gives you no knowledge that will help improve your country and your life.

And the middle school social studies teacher didn't just teach one side of the Civil War, but both the North and the South.

Carol

I've learned a great deal about the US government here on the forum!

I have always enjoyed finding out interesting things about my ancestors. For example, two of them were hanged. One was a horse thief in Kentucky, the other killed a British Black & Tan shortly before Ireland gained its independence. Then there was Martin Stodghill who had his nose bitten off during a street fight in Aurora, Indiana. What more could a man hope to find hanging (no pun intended) on his family tree?

I learned more from my recent co-writing experience than all of the government classes in school. Maybe I did know some details before, but they were learned in order to spout them back on a test, not to truly understand.

In some respects, ignorance was bliss...

I am much more interested and involved than before. Once my eyes were opened, I couldn't not see...

I learned about our government when I started traveling abroad. Often people knew more about our government than I did and it was embarrassing. I began to learn more about it because it became important to know. Then I became a fan of history. What I learned about our government's involvement in world affairs was and is an eye opener. It is not all good, but fortunately there are checks and balances that eventually come into play. Unfortunately the damage done can not always be undone.

I think it is important to know both the good and the bad. One of my husband's fellow Marines from the sixties asked me when I wrote the Cuba book, "What will happen when you find some unsavory information? Our commanding officer said sometimes it was better not to know what was happening."

Well, I found what one researcher felt was the most corrupt program our country had ever had. But it the program was never put into action.

Carol