Many states require that teachers engage in daily patriotic exercises.
For many, this means recital of the Pledge of Allegiance.

For some people, the Pledge of Allegiance raises serious issues.
Some people have religious objections to the saying of any pledge or oath.
Others object to the Pledge of Allegiance because it contains a reference to God.
Still others find that rote recital of the pledge is devoid of meaningful content.

But abstaining from the Pledge of Allegiance can be troublesome.
Students who do not recite the Pledge risk social exclusion and discipline.
Teachers who do not recite the pledge risk employment and legal consequences.

There is a better way.

The Sixty-Second Patriot intends to provide truthful, age-appropriate, meaningful, educationally-rich, non-controversial, secular ways to fulfill the law's requirement of patriotic exercises.

This is done with brief meditations on American history, civics, and values that are accessible to all people.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Election of 1800 Part II

Yesterday we talked about President John Adams, Founding Father and Patriot. President Adams showed us that sometimes even the best leaders are tempted to interfere with the liberties the Constitution recognizes. President Adams signed laws called the Alien and Sedition Acts.  He used them to try and have put people who criticized him in jail.  It is easy to see now that this violated the people's right to freedom of speech, part of the First Amendment to the Constitution.

The good sense of the American people prevailed. You'll remember that yesterday, we learned that Thomas Jefferson won the election of 1800 against President Adams, and Adams' Federalist Party lost control of the Congress in that election, too.  Adams' support of the Alien and Sedition Acts was a big part of the reason why. This is one example of how our democracy works.

(Post conceived and co-written by Ken at Popehat).
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