James Madison, the Father of our Constitution, once said, “Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”
The Informed Citizen, a civics blog of the NJSBF, tackles civics-related topics with the goal of arming all citizens with the knowledge of how the Founding Fathers created the nation and what every citizen’s rights are under the U.S. Constitution.
Posts are added to the blog periodically. All posts contain Discussion Questions and Glossary Words, providing a complete lesson plan. To suggest a civics-related topic for the blog, contact Jodi L. Miller at jmiller@njsbf.org.
For more on civics, check out the Civics Publications toggle on our Publications Page, download a copy of the Special Civics Edition of The Legal Eagle or order one of our civics-related publications, including the Bill of Rights Up Close or Beyond the Bill of Rights using our Publication Order Form.
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Constitutional Emoluments Clauses Guard Against Corruption
by Jodi L. Miller If you’ve been paying attention over the last year, a lot has been written and speculated about the U.S. Constitution’s emoluments clauses. The word emolument derives from the...
Regular Order and the Art of Compromise
by Jodi L. Miller Negotiation and compromise, once keys to the legislative process, seem to be lacking in today’s Congress. Many view the legislative branch in Washington, DC as hopelessly partisan,...
Serving at the Pleasure of the President
by Jodi L. Miller As you can imagine, running the country is a tough job, which is why presidents rely on members of their cabinet to advise them on difficult issues. The U.S. Constitution never...
United States Hasn’t Always Had a “Right to Vote”
by Jodi L. Miller Next week voters will again make their way to the voting booth, with New Jersey voters poised to elect a new governor. Today, every U.S. citizen over the age of 18 has the right to...
It Wasn’t Always a Party
by Jodi L. Miller Everyone probably knows there are two political parties in the United States today—Democrats and Republicans. It wasn’t always that way, though. There is no mention of political...
The Consent of the Governed and the 17th Amendment
by Jodi L. Miller The Declaration of Independence states: “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This is a fancy way of saying that the...