Civics

Civics is a social science dealing with government and citizenship. Civic education teaches people about citizenship and, particularly, citizens’ rights and responsibilities. Civics is sometimes taught in grade schools to familiarize students with basic information about their government and what is expected of them as citizens in their country. In the United States, people who want to become naturalized American citizens have to pass an exam with a section about civics. The questions in this section deal with topics such as US history, the US government, and the rights and responsibilities of US citizens. Studies have shown that learning about civics helps increase civic engagement, which is a goal of the US government. Many experts believe that such education is important in the United States because it has a historically low civic participation rate for a democracy.

History

The origins of citizenship extend back to ancient civilizations, including ancient Greece, where the idea of citizenship grew out of groups in city-states to which certain people belonged. For example, ancient Athens had an early democratic system in which men who owned land were considered citizens and given rights. When citizenship developed as a concept, the idea of a good citizen, meaning one who was responsible, also developed. This led to citizens having rights and responsibilities.

The citizens of a particular city were expected to better themselves to contribute to society. Therefore, citizens were meant to seek out an education and help others learn. They were also expected to develop a moral code and assist in enforcing it. The ancient Greeks believed that a moral code was important for citizens to help one another succeed.

European ideas about government and citizenship developed during the Middle Ages and were greatly influenced by those of the ancient Greeks. As the idea of citizenship developed, the sense of belonging that it provided encouraged the establishment of nations, many of which still exist today. During the Age of Enlightenment in the 17th and 18th centuries, European thinkers further evolved ideas about citizenship and the role of citizens within a country. Thomas Hobbes was one such thinker although he did not share the Greek view that a government would become good if its citizens were responsible. Instead, Hobbes, and some other Enlightenment thinkers, believed that people should design effective governments before establishing them and not depend on good citizens to positively influence governments.

Enlightenment thinkers influenced the American Founding Fathers, who created their own definition of citizenship. By the late 1700s, citizenship was a well-understand and accepted concept in most European and in many Asian countries, even though biases prevented many Europeans and immigrants from Europe from acknowledging the existence of citizenship in Asian regions. One of the Founders, James Madison, had a middle-of-the-road opinion about the roles of citizenship and believed that neither citizens nor governments were always good. He believed that citizens needed the government to ensure that rules were followed.

Throughout US history, many Americans have shared Madison’s views about citizens and governments. In the United States, civics and the study of citizenship, including its rights and responsibilities, grew out of these ideas. The Founding Fathers believed that they had shaped an acceptable government when they created the United States. They also believed that people were more likely to be good citizens if they understood US citizenship.

Civics education in the United States became a distinct field of study in the early 1900s. However, it had existed informally throughout US history, as messages about citizenship have been taught and reinforced since the country’s inception.

The American Political Science Association (APSA) began in 1903 and helped influence ideas about civics and the practice of civic education. Disciplines such as education, history, psychology, and sociology also affected the type of civic education that was taught.

Eventually, Americans developed the idea that formal civic education would make people better citizens and might even inspire them to become more involved in their government. In the early 1900s, some of the emphasis put on civics was meant to encourage children from different backgrounds to develop into a similar type of citizen. Millions of Europeans immigrated to the United States between 1875 and the end of World War I (1918), and Americans who had been in the country for many generations wanted to use civics to force immigrant children to assimilate.

Overview

In many countries, people learn about civics and citizenship informally. Families, governments, and communities spread information about citizenship and its rights and responsibilities through customs and teachings. However, modern democracies such as the United States often have formalized programs to teach civics. Many people believe that civics education is the government’s responsibility. Because of this, children receive civics education in schools, regardless of whether they are public or private. Adults who want to become US citizens have to learn about civics before they can be naturalized.

A modern civics education in the United States and many other countries generally includes learning about the government. It describes the workings of the government and how citizens can become involved in it. For example, in the United States, civics lessons explain how the Constitution is the basis of the federal government, and how the three branches of the federal government provide a series of checks and balances on one another. Civics courses also discuss the rights and responsibilities of citizens. For example, in the United States, voting is both a right and a responsibility that citizens have, though it is not compulsory, and participation in elections requires registration. Civics courses also often cover other topics including current events, school government, and types of governments. Some civics lessons include media literacy to help people understand the messages they receive from the media, as the media significantly impacts people’s understanding of government and citizenship. Some classes also teach social-emotional learning (SEL) because SEL helps people communicate more effectively with and understand other citizens, especially those from other social groups.

Adults who become US citizens have to take a naturalization test, which includes a civics section. Naturalization exams originated in the United States in the 1900s. In 1906 the federal Bureau of Naturalization began standardizing the naturalization process. Although the civics portion of the exam was implemented to help new citizens feel like part of their new country and ensure that they understood its rules, early civics exams were sometimes abused by those administering them. The people giving the exams could choose the questions, and if they wanted to block some individuals from gaining citizenship, they might ask particularly challenging questions such as, “How high is the Bunker Hill Monument?” However, a standardization of the civics exam eventually helped it play its intended role by asking pertinent questions about history, government, law, and citizenship.

Studies have indicated that studying civics is important, especially for young people. The 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Civics found that civic education helps increase civic engagement, which is part of the fundamental goal of civics and civic education. The same studies have also indicated that much of the civic education undertaken in the United States includes in-class learning and discussions about civics, yet professionals say that the best way to teach civics is to include opportunities for student involvement in civic engagement. Members of the US government, including the country’s Department of Education (DOE), have suggested that creating opportunities for Americans to be involved in their communities, such as by volunteering, can help increase civic engagement. The DOE has introduced multiple programs to promote civics and civic engagement. These programs, the earliest of which started in the 1980s, including the Federal Work-Study Program, the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, and the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE). Many educators and government officials aim to increase civic participation as, among democracies, civic participation in the United States has been historically low. For example, a study in 2007 indicated that in terms of civic participation, the United States ranked 139 out of 172 democracies in the world.

Bibliography

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“Origins of the Naturalization Civics Test.” US Citizenship and Immigration Services, 2 Sept. 2020, www.uscis.gov/about-us/our-history/history-office-and-library/featured-stories-from-the-uscis-history-office-and-library/origins-of-the-naturalization-civics-test. Accessed 30 Sept. 2020.

Rogers, Michael T. “The History of Civic Education in Political Science: The Story of a Discipline’s Failure to Lead.” APSA, 19 Oct. 2017, politicalsciencenow.com/the-history-of-civic-education-in-political-science-the-story-of-a-disciplines-failure-to-lead/. Accessed 30 Sept. 2020.