A Constitutional Democracy

Consent to be governed includes rights and responsibilities of the citizenry to ensure that freedom, justice, and equality prevail over narrowed special interests. It can be challenging for citizens to grasp the consequences of their disengagement without knowledge of fundamental democratic principles, purpose and functions of government, and an understanding of America's history.

This book addresses constitutional principles, national security, immigration, domestic and global economic issues, foreign affairs, and the Electoral College. The overarching goal is to motivate the reader to become involved in, and remain engaged in, the civic and political process at all levels of government for the common good of the country.

The framework was developed, in part, from The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) using the high school assessments for civics, economics, and U.S. History. NAEP's 2010 Civics report found that less than 30% of 4th, 8th, and 12th-grade students were proficient in civics. The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI) administered a 60-question civics literacy exam to 28,000 undergraduate students from more than 80 colleges. The average score was 54%. When ISI tested adults of all ages and educational backgrounds, 71% of them failed.