"Our democratic republic is failing, and it shouldn't be a surprise. We can't fly a plane without training; we can't practice medicine without attending medical school. And yet we expect the American people to wield the full power of their citizenship, the product of the most revolutionary governmental thinking in human history, without any education. We no longer teach our children the Bill of Rights or Constitution. We don't teach the Enlightenment values that underpin them. We don't teach the critical thinking skills and mental agility necessary for our own sovereignty. We've stopped teaching civics, and now we can't have a civil political discussion. The American experiment may fail if we don't act." --provided by publisher.