Becoming an informed citizen

Dear friends of The North Woods Call,
Most of us are presumably aware that there are deep philosophical and ideological divides in the United States today. While most of these divides seem to be caused by corrupt propagandists and self-serving demagogues who regularly sow lies, hatred and venom in a cynical effort to manipulate the masses, we all seem to get caught up in the resulting social chaos from time-to-time.

Dr. Larry Arnn, president of Michigan's Hillsdale College, says we're now living in one of the key moments in American history--one of the pivot points.

"We're going to go one way or the other," Arnn says. "[Abraham] Lincoln said that a house divided against itself cannon stand. We've got a house that can't continue to be organized in two different ways. It won't stand."

The key to good decision making, according to Arnn, is knowing what is true, as well as the consequences and alternatives to our actions. That's why Hillsdale College is offering free online courses in American history and the U.S. Constitution for those who want to become more informed citizens.

"How are you going to figure out what the right way is?" Arnn said. "The answer is, learn the story of the country, and learn the principles and institutions that have guided that story, and emerge from it. That's a critical thing for people in America to be doing right now, because--if they're going to exercise choice over what becomes of them--they're going to need to know."

I have taken a couple of these courses and--even though the college has is own point of view--am impressed by the thoroughness and relative objectivity with which the information is presented. There are video lectures, supplemental readings, question-and-answer sessions and quizzes to test your knowledge. And it's all free of charge (unless, of course, you want to make a donation).

College officials say they simply want to help citizens understand the differences between the constitutional republic bequeathed to us by our founders and the now-dominant administrative bureaucracy that has come from 100-plus years of so-called "progressive" thought and policy.

I, for one, learned a lot from these lectures and suspect that others will, too. All it takes is an open mind, a desire to learn and a little time. It is worth the investment. For more information: http://online.hillsdale.edu/

Patrick Henry