Some people who talk or write about civic education insist that the
United States has the very best democracy (or society) in
the world. In my opinion, the US is one of a few dozen polities
that stand head-and-shoulders above the rest (due to good luck as
well as wise ancestors). I think it’s a goal of civic education to
help students understand how fortunate they are compared to people
who live in tyrannies or anarchy. I feel loyalty and gratitude toward
the United States and not toward any other nation, and I think this
is a good attitude for Americans to hold. However, it’s far from clear
to me that our polity is the single best in the world. We have low
voter participation; our crime and incarceration rates are amazingly
high; and we live shorter lives with more disease, compared to people
in some of the northern European nations. Nor do we compare favorably
with these countries if one thinks about the long term. Sweden, for
example, has been stable and at peace for 200 years, progressing steadily
toward liberty and democracy. These other democratic states are all
to our left politically. Thus I wonder whether some people want to
teach students that the United States is the best society
in order to head off discussions about whether we should move somewhat
leftward.