This year, the history department immersed the Fifth Form in the democratic process. The heightened level of enthusiasm and concern for the 2024 presidential election could be attributed to many factors, and the simulation and practice of civic engagement in history classes may unravel students’ political motivations and ask them to think of themselves as active citizens.
The current political moment impacts students’ lives powerfully. Racial injustice and economic inequality spark urgency amongst young people. But is the Haverford student’s sense of urgency for the same reason? Students see boys at this school either lightly debating politics, throwing out general statements nonchalantly, or getting into full-blown-out arguments about a political issue.
The current generation of young people has become more empowered than ever before. Media engagement is at an all-time high, and so people feel the need to voice their opinions on social media platforms.
The top issues heading into this election have been unemployment, health care, climate change, and immigration. Young political advocates tend to support a policy rather than a candidate, and this can lead to voters not being happy with their candidate. As we see in current issues among the younger generation, even one policy can influence whom they vote for. For example, According to an exit poll by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, those who supported access to abortion preferred Democratic candidates (ABC).
Acknowledging the need to learn about why we vote for a particular candidate is particularly important for upperclassmen. It raises the question of whether those students are holding themselves with integrity when publicly revealing their views or side to the class, whether that’s Democratic, Independent, or Republican. Subconscious pressure from peers, or even pressure from a teacher’s perceived political view could easily sway, say, a Democrat to being independent, or a Republican to being a Democrat.
A combination of the shift in the political landscape, empowered youth, and the history department all contribute to why students care for the election in the first place.
The grade-wide public polling provides a unique forum where students can discuss these topics. After this activity, you could see students making fewer general statements and being less biased.
A combination of the shift in the political landscape, empowered youth, and the history department all contribute to why students care for the election in the first place.
“Civic discourse is taught, and disagreeing with people [can feel] unnatural,” Government and Politics teacher Mr. Timothy Lengel said, “but all future voters must think of themselves as active citizens.”
