Not my favorite subject
If you had asked me as a teenager what my favorite subject was, I would’ve said, “math.” Or not… Because even though math *was* my favorite subject, it was a terribly uncool subject. For a girl, don’tcha know. (I have no memory of what I *did* answer to that question, if I was ever asked, that is.)
I’m not here to write about that boring subject (being a teenager, not math) tonight. One subject that was definitely NOT my favorite was HISTORY!!! Somehow or other, I managed to slide through history classes with good grades and without once nodding off at my desk and crashing down onto the floor. I guess that last was ONLY because I was terrified of embarrassing myself in front of all the cute boys and kool kids et al. But history? Borrrrinnnng.
I know that I learned about the constitution and all that stuff and I distinctly remember the phrase “separation of church and state” but god knows, it’s all a big sloppy mish-mash down in the bowels of my brain. I have a pretty good data base in there but the input/output mechanisms vary according to the subject (and the time of day, number of distractions, amount of whine, etc., etc., ad nauseam).
Y’all maybe know more about history than I do. In fact, I *know* that some of you are history buffs. And that’s great. My point is that I think that there are probably a whole heckuva a lot of Americans like me, who have not visited the constitution in a pretty darn long time. Americans (like me) who are educated and well-read and have professional careers. Americans (like me) who are capable of a high level of critical thinking. Or would like to think they are.
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
That was Amendment I and I post it here without opinion. Because I am not knowledgeable enough to *have* an opinion. Except that I am going to start [re]-educating myself about all of this stuff. If you already know all this stuff like the back of your hand, I think that’s great! If not, here’s a good place to start. And there is a constitution app for the iPhone. Which is probably what I’ll use for my own remedial reading.
G’night.
October 20th, 2010 at 7:29 pm
The first amendment seems pretty clear to me on its attitude toward religion and the state. ahem Apparently not so clear to other people? One person? A female politician? 😉
October 20th, 2010 at 7:39 pm
On Friday night, Anne and I will be participating in a charity trivia night. I hope to contribute as the history guy. It has been famously said that those that don’t remember history are condemned to relive it. I think that our current economic situation and the history of the Great Depression are a good example. I agree with you that most Americans are not very civic minded, i.e. they don’t have a clue about what is going on in their government beyond the 30-second sound bite. I believe that America in this year of discontent has earned the government that it has, through its own apathy.
October 21st, 2010 at 7:01 am
RAPPS is how the Foundations* of History teacher was presenting the 1st Amendment to her class.
R = Religion, A = Assembly, P = Press, P = Petition, & S = Speech. She had peg words to hang each of the other nine amendments that are in the Bill of Rights. Two eyes to sight the gun you have the right to bear. A triangle for the 3rd amendment signifies the top of your house, where you don’t have to quarter soldiers, and so on.
*Foundations classes are what our school district calls the classes for the kids with more severe learning disabilities. I was in the class as a teacher’s assistant, so got to hear the lesson. The kids were engaged in the lesson (mostly), and seemed to get the concepts.