…the world would be a better place.  As part of our Freshman Seminar* program, Bill White and I each teach a section of  “Responsible Citizenship in American Democracy.” After reading the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, we use the Bill of Rights as our primary source material. What has struck me each time I have taught the course is how practical and non-ideological the students are as they think about the often thorny issues that arise when considering both the rights we enjoy as American citizens and the necessary limitations that must be placed on those rights. This is in stark contrast to most adults, whose positions on issues such as these tend to be less flexible and more divided along ideological lines.

A good example of a typical freshman approach is how the Second Amendment is viewed. I know few adults who do not come down firmly on one side or the other of the question of whether Americans should and do have a right, as individuals, to carry weapons. The pro-gun folks seem to be quite willing to accept a large number of gun-related deaths in order to keep the right to bear arms sacrosanct. The anti-gun folks tend to dismiss both constitutional and practical arguments (such as personal safety) in order to justify sharp restrictions on gun ownership. I have taught the Freshman Seminar course four times, and each time the pattern has been similar. When forced to choose, students will come down on one side or another of the gun debate. But it is rare for a student to take an absolute stand on either side of the argument. They are usually surprised to learn how easy it is for an adult to obtain a weapon, and tend to support measures such as registration and mandatory training. However, few students favor banning outright the private ownership of guns, citing their value in self defense. The class discussions on this and other knotty issues are often characterized by a search for common ground among the varying opinions.

Searching for common ground seems not to be much in evidence on the national or state levels today. Is it too much to hope for, as our children move into adulthood and assume the solemn responsibility we all have to keep the American democratic political system functioning well, they might preserve their desire to search for common ground rather than be polarized along ideological lines?

*Each freshman takes one trimester each of “World Religions” (taught by chaplain Mike Moffitt), c”Contemporary Issues” (taught by history teacher Nick Coddington), and American Democracy (taught by Rob Camner or Bill White). Freshman seminar meets twice weekly.