More Ways to Hold the Line

Here are some more actions ordinary citizens can take in defense of our Republic:

  • Support high-quality civic education, inside and outside our schools, through the college years and beyond.
  • Make sure you understand what the government’s key offices are supposed to do and why and know who you can trust to monitor their performance.
  • Build up our nation’s stock of generalized social trust by building good relations with your neighbors, especially those who are different from you,[i] and contributing to the community around you. Always treat everyone well with respect and fairness – in person and online.
  • Vote for candidates who are knowledgeable, wise, responsive to citizens’ needs, responsive to the common interest, and propose good policy options.

[i] Ulsaner (2012) observes that integrating people of different racialized or ethnic categories is not enough to build trust – we must form some sort of relationship with them.


Excerpted from Political Trust and Distrust, Part 2 of 2. Free course. One paragraph per day.

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Image: Inaugural parade, 1981. Kenneth Hackman.

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