One of the major drawbacks of democratic countries is that they are susceptible to the potential ignorance of the people. There are two antidotes to this, one of which has long been ignored. The parliamentary system, in which the electorate chooses representatives, is the first. This, to some extent, eliminates ignorance, as less-informed candidates are less likely to be elected to hold office. The second antidote, an antidote that has been ignored, is cultural literacy. The term was first coined by American educator E.D. Hirsch, and it describes the cultural and historical knowledge required to function as a citizen of a particular country. Hirsch has correctly identified that Western curricula place too little emphasis on the learning of facts, and rather that they inaccurately assume that children will naturally acquire knowledge as they increase in their critical thinking skills.
Hirsch first devised this concept in the early 1990s as a college lecturer in Richmond, Virginia. He noticed that a disproportionate number of the poorer students failed to read and comprehend basic passages about the American Civil War. This wasn't because they lacked in vocabulary or reading experience; they lacked in concrete knowledge. Hirsch stated that their lack of knowledge was, in his words, "shaking to me" because the event the passages were describing, one of the most important events in American history (Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant) had occurred in their hometown.
On the surface level, their lack of knowledge about the American Civil War does not appear to be such a major tragedy; so what if some young adults don't care much for the American Civil War? It isn't preventing them from interacting and thriving in society... or is it? A knowledge of your nation's history is important, especially in Western countries with high levels of immigration. We agree that the UK and the US should not be ethnostates; such views are rightly regarded as racist, and opposed by the vast majority of people in both countries. Given this, all national pride cannot be pride in a specific ethnic group, but rather pride in a shared philosophy, that is informed by historical events that the nation has gone through. All modern values are shaped and informed by the events of past. No value comes to the forefront of culture ex nihilo. There is a root cause for everything. In the case of the college students who knew little about the American Civil War, the link between modern American attitudes and history is clear. The American Civil War was fought over slavery; it was fought over expanding the idea of "the sanctity of human life" to all, regardless of skin colour.
The impact of this is clear in modern America; the Civil War ended the institution of slavery in the United States and was influential in promoting a longstanding American tradition of liberty that is prominent even today. It is almost impossible to understand modern race relations without understanding the causes and events of the Civil War. The young people Hirsch was working with were woefully unprepared to participate in a wider discussion, yet their vote was no less valuable than someone who was adequately prepared.
The UK Government has been inconsistent about its stance on cultural literacy. On one hand, it requires those wishing to become citizens to pass a test demonstrating their cultural literacy, but on the other, it fails to promote cultural literacy in its own state education system. I understand that younger children may not have developed the rationale to comprehend the more complex periods of history; however, it should not be a radical idea to suggest that state education funded by UK taxpayers should promote an understanding of British culture.
Modern values are rooted in historical events; this is a fundamental truth. The notion that all are subject to the law has been at the forefront of English (and then British society) since 1215. Individual liberty is rooted in 17th century philosophy. Our education system should make the promulgation of British values one of its foremost priorities to ensure that children become responsible, informed adults ready to participate in debate about the way we govern the country. This will be a potent antidote to the potential ignorance of the people.
Hirsch first devised this concept in the early 1990s as a college lecturer in Richmond, Virginia. He noticed that a disproportionate number of the poorer students failed to read and comprehend basic passages about the American Civil War. This wasn't because they lacked in vocabulary or reading experience; they lacked in concrete knowledge. Hirsch stated that their lack of knowledge was, in his words, "shaking to me" because the event the passages were describing, one of the most important events in American history (Robert E. Lee's surrender to Ulysses S. Grant) had occurred in their hometown.
On the surface level, their lack of knowledge about the American Civil War does not appear to be such a major tragedy; so what if some young adults don't care much for the American Civil War? It isn't preventing them from interacting and thriving in society... or is it? A knowledge of your nation's history is important, especially in Western countries with high levels of immigration. We agree that the UK and the US should not be ethnostates; such views are rightly regarded as racist, and opposed by the vast majority of people in both countries. Given this, all national pride cannot be pride in a specific ethnic group, but rather pride in a shared philosophy, that is informed by historical events that the nation has gone through. All modern values are shaped and informed by the events of past. No value comes to the forefront of culture ex nihilo. There is a root cause for everything. In the case of the college students who knew little about the American Civil War, the link between modern American attitudes and history is clear. The American Civil War was fought over slavery; it was fought over expanding the idea of "the sanctity of human life" to all, regardless of skin colour.
The impact of this is clear in modern America; the Civil War ended the institution of slavery in the United States and was influential in promoting a longstanding American tradition of liberty that is prominent even today. It is almost impossible to understand modern race relations without understanding the causes and events of the Civil War. The young people Hirsch was working with were woefully unprepared to participate in a wider discussion, yet their vote was no less valuable than someone who was adequately prepared.
The UK Government has been inconsistent about its stance on cultural literacy. On one hand, it requires those wishing to become citizens to pass a test demonstrating their cultural literacy, but on the other, it fails to promote cultural literacy in its own state education system. I understand that younger children may not have developed the rationale to comprehend the more complex periods of history; however, it should not be a radical idea to suggest that state education funded by UK taxpayers should promote an understanding of British culture.
Modern values are rooted in historical events; this is a fundamental truth. The notion that all are subject to the law has been at the forefront of English (and then British society) since 1215. Individual liberty is rooted in 17th century philosophy. Our education system should make the promulgation of British values one of its foremost priorities to ensure that children become responsible, informed adults ready to participate in debate about the way we govern the country. This will be a potent antidote to the potential ignorance of the people.
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