Facilitation Notes: Heroes and Villians
Historical and Philosophical Context
Right and wrong exist. Understanding civic virtue means acknowledging this. To further justice requires that one exercise judgment. To understand and evaluate virtue, we must be willing to admire heroes and condemn villains. We must be willing to take a stand. We seek to balance two ideas: on one hand, being too quick to judge is wrong. Respect means not looking down on others simply because you don’t agree with them. On the other hand, a reluctance to judge the behavior of others should not mean we do nothing in the face of evil. All that is needed for evil to triumph, it is often said, is for good people to do nothing.
Being virtuous does not require belief in a supreme being.
We need not shy away from the term “virtue.” Despite the occasional misunderstanding that it requires religion, virtue may in fact be defined as conduct that reflects universal principles of moral and ethical excellence essential to leading a worthwhile life and to effective self-government. For many leading Founders, attributes of character such as justice, responsibility, perseverance, and others were thought to flow from an understanding of the rights and obligations of all humans. Virtue is compatible with, but does not require, religious belief. To many in the Founding generation, religion and morality were “indispensable supports” to people’s ability to govern themselves. This is because religious institutions nurtured virtue, and the Founders knew virtue was needed for self-government to survive. On the other hand, the Founders understood that individuals had reason to distinguish between virtue and vice. They could practice virtue and be good citizens whether or not they were religious.
Why virtues and not “values” or “character”?
Virtues are unchanging because they are rooted in human nature. Values, on the other hand, can change with the times. The word “value” itself implies that values are relative. While values can change with circumstances, it is always good to be just, to persevere, to be courageous, to respect others, and so on. The word “character” is closely related to virtue. Character refers to the sum total of virtues an individual displays. A person of character is virtuous. That is why we focus on virtue.
Principles & Virtues as a Foundation of Democracy
Those “most ancient values” include commitments to justice, moderation, humility, integri-ty, and other virtues of citizenship that allow a free people to govern themselves. These are among the citizen virtues that the founders believed were necessary for self-government. Drawn from examining human nature, these principles and virtues shape the American re-public with ordered liberty and help form the nation’s conscience. Together, the principles and virtues bind a diverse, self-governing people together in local communities and pro-mote a healthy civil society. The continuation of the American experiment in self-govern-ment requires we know and understand these principles and practice these virtues. The maintenance of our republican government requires the people to be vigilant, informed, and virtuous, ensuring that governing institutions are directed towards their right ends. Good habits of virtue promote self-government and help guarantee that communities orient themselves towards advancing the spirit of a common purpose.
List of Virtues & Vices
Why did we choose these civic virtues?
The Founders established a republic with representative self-government based upon the consent of the governed and constitutional protections of liberty. This means that the peo-ple are the ultimate authority and create a government with representatives chosen by them to govern. The Founders believed that a self-governing people needed to practice civic vir-tues in order for a republican government and society to endure. Civic virtues bind free individuals into a community that is united by the spirit of a common purpose and an interest in the common good. The Founders believed that individuals who governed themselves were prepared for republican self-government. They practiced certain civic virtues that supported constitutionalism and the rule of law that was an integral part of ordered liberty. When individuals were self-governing and practicing civic virtue, voluntary societies served others in the community and provided mutual support. This voluntarism nurtured a healthy civil society and thus supported the idea of limited government.
Why Teach Civic Virtue?
“Neither the wisest constitution nor the wisest laws will secure the liberty and happiness of a people whose manners are universally corrupt. He therefore is the truest friend of the liberty of his country who tries most to promote its virtue.” – Samuel Adams
Studying civic virtues equips students and teachers to live the ideals of a free and just society. This resource seeks to build knowledge while providing students with opportunities to practice the skills associated with democratic processes, including deliberation, collective decision-making, civil discourse, and dealing with differences. These ideals and habits shape the American understanding of self-government and the habits required to maintain a healthy civil society.
How to Teach Civic Virtues
“If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten.” – Rudyard Kipling
Studying civic virtues equips students and teachers to live the ideals of a free and just so-ciety. This resource seeks to build knowledge while providing students with opportunities to practice the skills associated with democratic processes, including deliberation, collec-tive decision-making, civil discourse, and dealing with differences. These ideals and habits shape the American understanding of self-government and the habits required to maintain a healthy civil society.
Character Education
“Within the character of the citizen lies the welfare of the nation.” – Cicero
According to the U.S. Department of Education, character education “teaches the habits of thought and deed that help people live and work together as families, friends, neighbors, communities and nations.” Character education is a learning process. Character education enables students and adults to understand, care about, and act on founding principles such as our natural rights of liber-ty, justice, and equality. By practicing these virtues through, we can create healthy commu-nities foundational to our larger civil society. Character education is often viewed as an “add-on program” that distracts from “real teach-ing.” But it should be a rich teaching tool across the curriculum. It should be a seamlessly integrated part of curriculum and instruction. The key? Simplicity. It is a straightforward and adaptable curricular supplement. Based on the content history and English teachers already teach, it provides a clear framework for extending that content into character and civic virtue. Heroes & Villains is a curricular supplement that equips teachers to integrate character ed-ucation into their existing curriculum. Teaching civic virtue can be robust yet adaptable enough to tailor to your teachers and students. In fact, the more flexible it is, the more you can harness the power of the strongest element your school already has: the relationships among faculty, students, and staff.
Resource Overview:
“These exercises, based on historical events, are definitely more effective in getting students to examine their own commitment to these virtues.” – Field-Testing Teacher
Heroes and Villians: The Quest for Civic Virtue avoids shallow topics, inviting teachers and students to dive straightforwardly into robust, history-based topics. Through rich narratives, critical questions, meaningful discussions, and personal application, teachers and students will examine the civic virtue assumptions of our nation’s Founders and their relevance today.
- 24 narratives that convey stories of individuals who faced decisive moments in which to practice virtue or vice – including Benedict Arnold, Clara Barton, Frederick Douglass, and more.
- Journal exercises that encourage deep reflection of individual students’ hearts and minds.
- “Virtue in Action” supplements provide ideas and activities for students to practice habits of civic virtue in their schools and communities.
- Cross-curricular connections make it easy for faculty and staff to work together toward the same goals within the context of their own classrooms.
- Engaging videos that provide additional context in a different medium meeting the needs of diverse classrooms.
Recommended Sequencing:
- Educators are encouraged to work through the Thought Activity for Educators before using these lessons in their classrooms as a way to explore the resource themes personally before tackling them with students.
- Early on the year or before working through any of the narratives or activities, students should be introduced to the concepts and themes of Heroes and Villians: The Quest for Civic Virtue through the Defining Civic Virtue and the Benjamin Franklin and Civic Virtue lessons.
- After students are introduced to the concepts and themes, educators can take any tact they choose. Suggestions include using the lessons as individuals are introduced throughout the study of U.S. History or focusing the specific virtue and vice combinations.