Public/Civic Engagement
6. Civic Knowledge and Skills
by Heidi Burgess
April 5, 2025
We have said several times elsewhere in this Guide that democracy is not a spectator sport. Abraham Lincoln, in the last time of the Gettysburg Address vowed that "that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth." If we are to have government "of the people," and "by the people," that means that we, "the people," must be involved. And "involved" does not just mean voting every year or two, or four. It means learning about the issues of the day. It means choosing one or a few that we care about, that we know about, or that we want to learn more about. Then we need to do the work — to learn more about our chosen issues, to learn how to get involved in our local, state, or even federal decision making processes by attending, perhaps speaking at meetings, by serving on boards or committees, participating in the PTA at the school, meeting with our Congressional Representatives or their staffs — these are just some of many ways we, as citizens of the United States, can get engaged in our own governance and government. If we aren't willing to spend at least a little time doing that, then we shouldn't complain when things don't go as we want them to. It is everyone's responsibility to make democracy work. The readings below share more ideas about how to do that.
Resources on this Topic
To see all Guide Resources on this topic, scroll within the resource box.
Stars indicate resources that we think are especially useful.
