“On Civic Education”by Ross Bosse

“When I found so astonishing a power placed within my hands, I hesitated a long time concerning the manner in which I should employ it. Although I possess the capacity of bestowing animation, yet to prepare a frame for the reception of it, with all its intricacies of fibers, muscles, and veins, still remained a work of inconceivable difficulty and labor. I doubted at first whether I should attempt the creation of being like myself, or one of simpler organization; but my imagination was too much exalted by my first success to permit me to doubt of my ability to give life to an animal as complex and wonderful as man.” (Shelly & Brantley, 1967)

It had been a typical day in my classroom when the usually placid Mariella excitedly ran into my room shouted out, “Mr. Bosse, I thought of something in my English class.  James Madison is Victor Frankenstein!” I looked at her puzzled for a brief moment and asked her to explain.  In a hurried manner, she explained that Madison had done a lot of research to find the “formula” of good government just as Frankenstein had created his monster from various desirable humans.  In the previous class we had done a document analysis activity with Federalist no. 1, in which I helped students realize that the need for the Constitution at the time of the Founding.  Additionally, this was the point when I introduced Federalist and Anti-federalist arguments about the ratification of the Constitution.  What Mariella had done was to synthesize the analysis she had done in relation to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the book she was currently reading in English. While it seems like an odd thought, it makes perfect sense.  As we discussed Mariella’s comment as a whole class (it seemed like a logical tangent from what was planned for the day), it became evident that my students already comprehended the fact that education and a nurturing environment is what Frankenstein’s Monster, and the people around him, lacked and is precisely what our nation and the Constitution needs in order to thrive.  It was that moment in my teaching career that the importance of what I was doing truly materialized in my mind.  After All, it had not been everyday that I had the opportunity to engage others in such deep and relevant dialogue about the Constitution, let alone a large class of 13-14 year-olds.

One thing that unites us as Americans is our innate sense of freedom.  In a time when fighting for individual rights, our place in the economic world, security, and an intense political theatre cause many to have a bleak outlook on our nation, I see these issues to be at the heart of Constitutional scholarship.  Despite differing opinions, we can rally around the Constitution.  The problems we face now are not all that different from a time when James Madison set out to write the Virginia Plan.  In writing “Of Modern and Ancient Confederacies,” Madison illustrates the realization that the problems of his day were similar to the problems of past governments.  In essence, these problems are part of the human experience.  The “monster” that Madison set out to create was believed to be capable of counteracting those problems.  Or, in the very least, would provide future

generations the tools necessary to combat the ills of bad government without, as Thomas Jefferson proposed, shedding the “blood of patriots and tyrants.”  

In Federalist No. 49, Madison observed that “The people are the only legitimate fountain of power, and it is from them that the constitutional charter, under which the several branches of government hold their power, is derived.”  Madison’s words were true then and are even more relevant today, as we have seen an increase in population and diversity among the people.  However, at the same time, we seem to have a crisis on our hands when it comes to civic engagement.  Far too many people feel powerless in a time when they feel their government is less than ideal.  The result is an electorate that is not holding up its end of the deal that Madison brokered.  As a people, we must return to arming ourselves with Constitutional knowledge and get involved.  We, and it begins with educators like myself, need to “Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity”.  I believe that the prescription is teaching our youth about our structure of government, their rights as citizens (and noncitizens), voter education, and building a sense of community within and outside our schools.  It has to go beyond simply teaching, to actually engage students in lifelong civic engagement.  Madison’s constitution is a reflection upon and agreement amongst ourselves.  What does it say about us as a people, if we are not engaged in the essence of what makes us a people?  

As a civics teacher, I have had many moments like my student’s revelation about Frankenstein, but my work as a We the People coach has also reaped benefits in regard to the Constitutional scholarship of my students and their families.  While they amount to only 24 out of nearly 600 8th graders in my school, they are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to getting an entire class in debate about government actions and current events.  I hear from parents quite often that their student even engages their family in Constitutional inquiry.  My small group students are truly paying it forward.  That in alone is a testament to the power of civic education with a focus understanding and applying the Constitution.  If Madison truly is like Frankenstein, it is my sincere hope that the work I do as a civics educator will help to ensure that his creation never becomes a monster that the people fear.

References

Shelley, M. W., & Brantley, M. (1967). Frankenstein : or the modern prometheus. London: Dent.