Citizenship Is About More Than Voting

Citizenship Is About More Than Voting
Conor Park, 8, and his sister Ripley Park, 7, look at an original printed version of the Declaration of Independence at the Capitol in Phoenix, on Oct. 8, 2003. Matt York/AP Photo
Hans Zeiger
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Commentary

On the eve of a big national election, it is easy to get swept up in the excitement of presidential politics. The White House, after all, is often called the “highest office in the land.” But in all the turbulence that comes with campaigning, it can be too easy to lose sight of the enduring things that really matter. As if to remind us that we should not overly focus on presidential politics, Justice Felix Frankfurter once said, “In a democracy, the highest office is the office of citizen.” This is a lesson we would do well to remember.

Hans Zeiger
Hans Zeiger
Author
Hans Zeiger is the president of the Jack Miller Center, a nationwide network of civics teachers, historians, and scholars of American political thought who are dedicated to the teaching of the American political tradition.