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NEA’s Patriot Pack
Constitution Translated for Kids
A Lesson in Democracy by Cathy Travis Kids are naturally curious about the rules that govern adults, be they forces of nature or government. For matters of government, Independence Day, 2002, is an extraordinarily good time for citizens to remember who we are and to explain to young people, and the rest of the world, what makes this nation the world’s leading democracy. Explaining the government to kids is so hard that adults frequently bypass real information and substitute ambiguous or negative comments about politicians. But “We the people” are the government, and the single supreme document that established our government and articulates our rights and responsibilities is a profoundly simple document: the United States Constitution. When I wrote Constitution Translated for Kids, almost 10 years ago, I was motivated by my niece and nephew, Sami and Rob, and later our young cousins, Tyler and Shelby. I believed that when kids know what is in the Constitution, our nation will be a fundamentally stronger, better place. Today it is all the more important to remember the ideas that bind us together as a nation On September 11 at 9:42 a.m., as we were evacuated from the United States Capitol after the Pentagon attack, there was a powerful illustration of how this democracy works. As buildings were being evacuated, Capitol Hill telephones were automatically transferred to the congressional district offices of Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate in over a thousand locations around the country. That speaks volumes about the nature of our democracy. “We the People” reside in every corner of this nation, and that is where government derives its power. Our power is not in a building or even in the place our representatives meet. It is with our citizens, and it is our common ideas and our freedoms that make us great. On Independence Day 2002, remember what makes us a great and enduring nation.
The hard part of understanding the Constitution is the legalistic, complicated language of diplomats and lawyers over 2 centuries ago. But it need not be so hard. In a world where religious and political extremists judge our national values by the movies we export and the commercial success we enjoy, 7.4.76 is the date to relate to 9.11.01, and the world in which we now live. It was on July 4th, 1776 that the British colonies of the Americas broke away from royal rule, declared themselves independent, and called the new country the United States of America. They encouraged citizens of the new nation to pursue life, liberty and happiness. After a war with England, and then a contentious battle of ideas in free debates, our founders gave us the outline for how the government would operate, and how the rights of citizens and states would forever be enshrined in the Constitution. The ideas in the Constitution are still entirely who we are in this nation. It overshadows the identity of gender, ethnicity, geography, religion, wealth, national origin, and individual takes on our fundamental ideas. The Constitution is now front and center as we remind the world who we are and what we hold dear in this country. It reminds us where we came from … and why. Travis is a writer, working for a Member of Congress on Capitol Hill. Read more about Constitution Translated for Kids. Travis can be reached at [email protected] Created: June 27, 2002 Updated: July 8, 2002 Source Link: Connect For Kids
Connect for Kids, an award-winning multimedia project of the Benton Foundation, helps adults make their communities better places for families and children. The Web site offers a place on the Internet for adults—parents, grandparents, educators, policymakers and others—who want to become more active citizens, from volunteering to voting with kids in mind.
17-Jun-2005 |
NEA Health Information Network