Every country’s success is dependent on its citizens. In a military dictatorship, a citizen must be an effective soldier, always striving to help the country gain power. In a monarchy, a citizen’s job is to serve the leader in any way possible. In a communist country, a citizen must act for the greater good.

            A citizen of a democratic country is responsible for helping run the country. Whether he is voting for a member of government or for a law, each citizen directly determines his country’s fate. Therefore, it is important for these citizens to be able to make intelligent and clearly thought out decisions. The role of education in democratic countries is to teach citizens how to make decisions that will be beneficial for the whole country.
            Very rarely will voting decisions be obvious. Each side has its pros and cons that need careful consideration. In the United States, every citizen over the age of eighteen shares this responsibility. Consequently, citizens under this age have to be prepared for this duty through their education. Public schools must teach students to think critically. It is imperative that students learn to make informed decisions that are based on information, not propaganda or unhealthy prejudice.

            Additionally, instead of asking students to merely memorize information, American school systems (ideally) ask their students to see situations from both sides. An excellent example of this is high school American history. Wars are always considered from both sides. No side is entirely wrong or evil, no side is entirely just and good.

            When studying the American Civil War, we learn about the motivations and the positive and negative aspects of both sides. We are taught to understand that, although slavery is wrong, the South fought because their entire way of life was threatened. We learn that, even if the North wanted to free slaves, they primarily passed the thirteenth amendment so African Americans would enlist in the war. Naturally, this class is still quite biased as it is history taught by the winning side. Despite this, I felt that it helped to establish the fact that all points of view have good and bad qualities.

            Of course, this approach isn't always successful. Many United States voters still make decisions based on prejudice. This is human nature. Our public school system can still valiantly make an attempt to create informed and thoughtful voters.