Smashed windows. Empty tear gas canisters. Dozens injured. This may sound like a scene from a movie, but instead, it’s the aftermath of the January 6th Capitol insurrection. Taking place in the symbolic heart of our nation, the outburst of violence and rage shocked millions of citizens and distressed democracies around the world. The United States, once extolled as the shining beacon of freedom in a world where authoritarianism has been on the rise, seems itself at risk of an illiberal streak.

Although the event might look like an arbitrary outburst of violence, the root causes are profound and run much deeper. The problem isn’t just that the insurrection occurred but also that the insurrectionists, along with a sizable minority of the American public, believe it to be an acceptable response to the year’s events and political stirring. A poll done by Business Insider on January 13 of this year indicates that one in ten Americans thinks the siege was justified, highlighting this predicament. This belief in achieving political goals through violence and force indicates a lack of a common civic understanding of the democratic political system among Americans.

In times of crisis, history can often be useful in offering a perspective to better understand the present. A violent insurrection against a democratic institution is largely an unfamiliar event for the modern American, though it has happened before. At the turn of the 20th century, a violent coup instigated by white supremacists overthrew the Fusion government in North Carolina. The Fusion party was a cross-racial special party made up of African Americans and white Republicans that was a Republican offshoot for regional elections. Outvoted by freed slaves at the ballot box, Southern “redeemers” sought to oust the democratically elected local government through violence and intimidation in what would become the Wilmington Insurrection. Without Union infantry to protect the freed slaves, looting and vandalism spiraled out of control, leaving at least 60 people dead. As one of the few outright coups in American history, the Wilmington Insurrection demonstrates the dangers of a disregard of the basics of civics, especially in terms of respecting democratic elections.

On the other hand, contested elections can bring out the better angels of our nature. Take the election of 2000 as an example, where after several recounts, George W. Bush narrowly defeated Al Gore in a months-long dispute that made its way up to the Supreme Court. Through the highly controversial decision, Bush v. Gore, Bush triumphed by a margin of four electoral votes despite the fact that Gore had won the popular vote by more than half a million votes. Taken into context with the bitterness during the recent election, it would not be surprising to assume that such a disputed election would have resulted in partisan gridlock and long lasting rancor regardless of the eventual victor. However, in mid-December, roughly a month and a half before inauguration, Al Gore conceded defeat, citing the necessity of unity and his commitment to respecting the democratic electoral process.

These two crises from history appear antithetical, but both reveal the importance of civic education. Without authoritarianism dictating society’s rules, preserving a democracy requires individuals to follow a certain set of expected guidelines in governance for the continued function of society. This includes simple concepts like respecting free speech and believing in democratic equality, but it also includes rational deliberation and a commitment to republicanism as a form of representation. These expected guidelines are the core tenets of democracy, somewhat like an extension to the social contract theory into the realm of political beliefs. Although individuals may hold differing political views, they must adhere to these common basic beliefs in order to maintain the system that allows for the free discussion and thought essential to a republic in the first place. In this case, these common beliefs are our civic education system. Just like how in the physical sense, the natural right to theft must be conceded to create the right to public property, citizens must transfer their right to be ignorant of civic concepts to create and maintain a stable, cohesive democracy.

Recent events have indicated a fundamental misunderstanding of this responsibility, so every citizen must learn it. In the case of PHS, although we do not have a dedicated civics course, general courses like AP U.S. History allow us to understand the relationship between people and government throughout American history while AP Government and Politics provides a blueprint for the workings and structure of the government. Though the courses may seem monotonous and dry for some, they shape a perspective on civics that is useful beyond just the class, providing insight on how to engage democratically in our society. They provide the antidote to ignorance, introducing these common basic beliefs that ultimately result in shaping responsible and functioning citizens of a democracy. So next time you hop on that Zoom class, don’t just treat the course as just a source of a grade but rather as a building block towards civic responsibility. America needs civically informed citizens now more than ever, because although the match of the insurrection has been extinguished, the proverbial barrel of gunpowder from society’s civic irresponsibility remains.