[Note: If
the reader has taken up reading this blog with this posting, he/she is helped
by knowing that this posting is the next one in a series of postings. The series begins with the posting, “The Natural Rights’ View
of Morality” (February 25, 2020, https://gravitascivics.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-natural-rights-view-of-morality.html).
If this is the reader’s first time viewing this blog, he/she should look
up the preceding two posting; they give a good description as to what the blog
is currently attempting to do.]
This blog is reviewing and evaluating two popular American
government textbooks[1]
used mostly to instruct seniors in high school.
The blog is analyzing random selected paragraphs from these textbooks. This posting selects the last of five paragraphs
from Magruder’s American
Government.
Titles:
Topic 13, “California State and Local Government,” Lesson 2,
“The California Legislature,” Page 674 –
Content:
The
Referendum A referendum
is a process by which voters in 23 States can challenge a statute that the
legislature has recently passed, or by which the legislature can refer a
measure to the voters for approval or rejection. California has both mandatory and popular
referendums.[2]
Context:
This description of a highly
democratic provision, one that citizens can directly activate between elections,
is placed, along with a description of “the initiative,” under the heading,
“Direct Legislation.” The information
given is limited to describing how citizens perform this function and a
historical listing of times in California it has been utilized.
Evaluation:
The first point to be made in this
evaluation is to indicate how near the end of the textbook this description
appears. This is on page 674, the text
material of the book ends on page 752.
Given that initiatives and referendums are two meaningful methods by
which average citizens can have an active voice in their governance, one would
think this topic would receive more prominence within the covers of an American
government textbook.
Also,
of note, the initiative and referendum were main achievements of the
Progressive movement during the last years of the nineteenth century and the
early years of the twentieth century. This
movement is generally accepted as that movement that put in check the growing
power of large corporations who were/are accused of controlling legislative
bodies particularly at the state level.
There is no mention of this history.
Again,
the apparent goal of this book is to inform an observer of the government who
only involves him/herself to pursue personal interests and, then, only reluctantly. The book does not encourage an active, on-going
participant in a national or state-wide governing arrangement.
So,
with the five random paragraphs described and evaluated, what can one generally
say about Magruder’s treatment of governance and politics? This writer believes that Magruder
very accurately reflects a natural rights view as this blog has described that
view. The five paragraphs sustain the
same tone or language. That language
opts to be matter-of-factly in its delivery, it describes the subject matter
objectively, accurately, and if one compares it to the language used in
scientific studies, it is very similar.
Yet,
is that what is needed to engender good citizenship in a federated arrangement? The judgement here is that it is not. For this system to be “of” and “by” its
people, this textbook should use language that promotes the validity of an engaged
citizenry and also, it should instruct students on how they can be effective
in that role. The five paragraphs seem
oblivious to these general aims.
They
also communicate a consumerist view.
That is, that government is out there to provide public services and,
without explaining how one participates, are rendered through a general
competitive process. Within that process
one has rights to pursue individualized interests. Within these descriptions or explanations
there seems to be no meaningful concern for the common good. Yet the Constitution, through its
Preamble, identifies directly that the overall aim of the established
government is to pursue “a more perfect union” not the advancement of a
compilation of individualized wants and needs.
This
blog, with the next posting, will move on and provide a review and evaluation
of five randomly chosen paragraphs from the Glencoe book. The format will be the same as is used with Magruder.
[1]
Daniel M. Shea, Magruder’s American Government
(Boston, MA: Prentice Hall/Pearson,
2019) AND Richard C. Remy, Glencoe
United States Government: Democracy in
Action (New
York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Glencoe, 2010).
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