01 October 2007

Can you name all the US Presidents

This was the current poll on CNN. Now, to appear to contradict my statements on the importance of civics and history, this question is useless. Nobody should know that much about Millard Fillmore or James Buchanan unless they're specializing in useless 19th century Presidents, or need to answer a trivia question such as who was the 15th US President. The impact of some, if not many, of the US Presidents upon human history or even American history is negligible. Studying instead more lasting and impactful figures in our history, everywhere from civil rights advocates and writers, inventors, judges, actors or other performers, and even CEOs or generals is far more practicable knowledge to impart in a civics and history study.

Looking over the list myself, there are a good number who were not studied with any great importance. Dispatching instead a few paragraphs on the workings of Congress or of corporate expansionism during the 19th century and the failure of laissez faire economics to contain the brutality of man (thus inspiring a visceral and equally failed reaction in the form of communism) might be more educational than reading that some guy got elected and didn't do much of anything. I'd jabbed in several debates lately over the 'greatest American leaders'. Sadly, they still are self-limited to Presidents.

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