Should the U.S. Constitution be a core curriculum subject in our schools?
The Constitution is a document which is the primary law of the land and every student should be taught about the Constitution from beginning to the end. This document is the basis from which all our laws should be established. It is important that our schools take the time to teach all their students about the Constitution and what it represents.
Some have said it is a living document and in the respect that it can be changed it is true but the basic principles upon which this country was found is incorporated into the Constitution. The Constitution should be one of the core curriculum subjects if not the primary core subject in all schools whether they be public or private. It is important that every individual know the principles established within the Constitution and what they represent to us as individuals. We have certain rights guaranteed to us through this document and knowing our rights as individuals is important. Our school system is great and is one of which we all should be proud.
Learning about our government and how it operates is important for any school to teach their students as part of their curriculum but the Constitution should be part of that process. The Constitution we have today has basically been the same since it was adopted. The twenty seven amendments made reflect that it can be modified when the will of the people agree change is needed.
Our education system is one of the basic segments of our society and as such it needs to furnish some curriculum on which our country was found, the Constitution. Together with the U.S. Constitution each state constitution should be taught in all schools. This would provide not only the opportunity to learn about our national government and its responsibilities but how each state addresses their individual responsibilities. Learning about both provides some connection between the two documents and helps students form a basic knowledge about how each government operates or should operate. Today interpretations are being made and court cases have been filed with regards to the intent of the founding fathers on specific issues of the day. Some of these issues involve state government rights and authority vs federal government rights and authority.
The points I have made in this article support the need for the U.S. Constitution to be a core curriculum in our schools. Students today are being taught subjects in elementary school that in the past were not taught until they were in high school or college. Providing a curriculum which teaches students about the Constitution along with government rights vs state rights is the right thing to do. Given the difficulty of subjects now being taught at earlier ages I feel that today’s youth have the capability to understand given the subjects now being taught. It is also important to note that learning about our individual rights is important as identified in the Constitution. Governments at all levels have certain responsibilities and authority but that authority comes from the people and this aspect of the Constitution is something that needs to be understood. The right place to make this happen is our educational system.
