The U.S.A is a democracy.  A democracy relies on the individuals and their opinions to govern this country.  In a democracy, people elect leaders that represent what they believe is best for the country.  How do people know who to vote for? This is why education is so important in a democracy.  Public education helps individuals form their own opinions. Eventually those same individuals will grow up and vote for a president they believe that will lead the country in the right direction.  On the other hand a dictatorship only cares about the opinion of one person and that person is the dictator.  A dictator doesn't care about the opinions of the people and he keeps the people ignorant so they don't revolt.  How can people know what is an unalienable right if they never heard of it due to censorship and propaganda?  Public education gives students the knowledge of how the government works so they can lead this country when they get older.  The kids are the future of any country.  Public education is key because if the kids are educated they will have the right tools to help the nation succeed.  If the kids are poorly educated the country won't be successful.   The kids will become workers, politicians, scientists, or even the president.  Those same educated individuals will help the country by either implementing new laws to make the country a safer place or finding the cure for cancer.  The purpose of public education is the give students the right tools so later in life they can make a difference and help this country improve.

In Mr. Costa's U.S history class we debated many different topics.  In a democracy people have a freedom of speech.  Politicians are constantly debating what they believe is right for the country.  One of the most memorable debate in Mr. Costa's class was "Whether Andrew Jackson deserved to be on the twenty dollar bill or not?"  Different groups gathered evidence for which side they supported. Then the groups gave their opinion of whether he deserved to be on the twenty dollar bill or not.  After the groups opening statement  we continued to give evidence that supported our stand or position on this debate. Also in Mr. Collyer's class we talked about the Aurora shootings and our reaction when we heard the news.  We also got into a debate about the Second Amendment.   In both these debates the teachers let the students form their own opinion on the subject.  Both teachers asked students to back their opinions with evidence.  Neither teacher told us what was right or wrong. They also didn't influence us on the topic on what to believe.  Public education's main goal is to educate the students so they can form their own opinions and lead the country when they are older.