WELCOME TO HOME SCHOOL POLITICS!!
"Thomas Jefferson said that no nation can be both ignorant and free. Today no nation can be both ignorant and great." Lyndon Johnson
"Where my reason, imagination or interest were not engaged, I would not or I could not learn." Winston Churchill
This is a new website that is the result of an increasingly collaborative effort to provide a forum in which our kids can learn about our political processes and political history. Along the way, kids will get to submit their thoughts, blogs, opinions, and writings, and see them posted on this site. Above all else, our political system relies on discussion to make it strong. As the administrator of this website, I will strive to make my contributions as non-partisan as possible. The kids will not be bound by any such constraints. They can communicate their thoughts regardless of where they fall on the political spectrum.
Before diving into the nuts and bolts of our political system, I want to make a brief statement about information on the Internet. It is easy (sometimes too easy) to get information on the Internet, and we often don't know if the information is accurate and reliable. With this in mind, I want to explain my background. I am a homeschooler with multiple degrees in history, as well as a law degree, so I have studied and taught about the information on this site at the college level. I also design and present educational programs across the country. The information provided on this site has been checked against multiple sources, and there is a page of links to primary and secondary sources for further study. Good, that's out of the way. Now, on to good stuff.
This website has three goals:
Provide as much information as possible. When there is too much information to squeeze in, we will give you links to view the information on other sites.
Give kids a place to share their ideas about this important aspect of our national culture.
Encourage discussion between kids about issues that are important today and will be important in the future.
The website will be divided into areas covering various relevant topics, including:
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The Processes page covers the structures and processes in our political system which allow us to vote for candidates and elect presidents (and other officials). |
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The History page covers the development of our political system and the elections we have had. We will continue to add historical facts and figures about past elections as a resource for study of past events. |
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The Constitution page introduces the Constitution and includes the sections which are most often discussed in political campaigns. |
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The Parties page lists and describes each political party, including the smaller parties. There are links to each party for further information. There are also links to candidate websites. |
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The States page describes the variations that each state has developed to make their political processes unique. |
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The "Other Systems" page discusses the political systems of other countries. We will continue to expand this page over time to include as many countries as possible. If you would like to see a specific country that is not discussed, please let us know. |
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The Kid Space page is the part that I am most excited about. This portion of the site will hopefully be the most active. It will provide areas for kids to post their thoughts and reactions to posted questions, blogs, "create-a-platform", political spectrum quiz, and quick shot written responses. This is a great way for kids to have their ideas and writings posted online. |
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The Links page includes an ever-growing list of links to sites for further study. |
Above all, this site is meant to be a collaboration between people in the homeschool community. If you have any ideas for new content, please e-mail me.
The hosting and upkeep of this site relies on the generosity of those in the homeschool community. We already have several families donating to this project, but we want to keep the site strong and vibrant, and add new features which will improve the kids' experiences. If you are interested in making a small donation to help with this project, please e-mail me.
To contact me about any aspect of this site, please click HERE.
Ó All information on this website is the property of Thomas Jones, 2008. Last updated February 17, 2008.