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History

American Citizenship and Its Decline

8 lessons

7.5h total length

Learn the significance of American citizenship and the threats it faces today.

Citizenship is rare in human history but essential to free government. Today, the constitutional rule of citizens in America is threatened by a new form of government, unaccountable to the people, in which power is held by a ruling class that seeks to transform our society.

In this eight-lecture course, students will examine the origins and history of citizenship in the West and the grave challenges American citizenship faces today. Topics covered in this course include: the erosion of the middle class, the disappearance of sovereign borders, the rise of tribalism, the growth of the deep state, the modern assaults on the Constitution, and the emergence of a new form of global government.

Join the thousands of citizens committed to learning how to defend liberty in America by enrolling in this free online course, “American Citizenship and Its Decline,” today!

Taught by:

Larry P. Arnn, President of Hillsdale College, Professor of Politics and History 

Victor Davis Hanson, Wayne and Marcia Buske Distinguished Fellow in History

Lessons in this course

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10:10

lesson 1

Introduction

Free government allows human beings to flourish by providing citizens with authority and responsibility to pursue the common good. This practice of citizenship is under attack today by a form of bureaucratic government in which experts dictate rules concerning every area of life.

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30:45

lesson 2

The History of Citizenship in the West

Citizenship emerged more than 2,500 years ago in the ancient Greek city-state. Government by the consent of a free citizenry is rare in human history and on the decline today throughout the constitutional republics of the West. 

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33:39

lesson 3

The Disappearing Middle Class

A large and self-sufficient middle class is essential to citizenship, as it prevents an unstable, binary society of rich and poor. The once thriving American middle class is now vanishing due to high debts, low wages, and government policies that trap citizens in a prolonged adolescence.

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27:43

lesson 4

Illegal Immigration and the Loss of National Sovereignty

America’s founding principle of equality created an opportunity for people from all over the world—regardless of race or birth—to immigrate to the United States and become full citizens. This led to a system of immigration that proceeded according to established laws and required a willingness and ability to assimilate into American society. These criteria have been abandoned in favor of a system of widespread illegal immigration that erodes the rights of citizens.

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29:24

lesson 5

The Rise of Tribal Politics

Tribal politics is one of the most ancient and dangerous challenges to citizenship. The recent rise of identity politics in America breaks the bonds of common citizenship and divides Americans on the basis of superficial characteristics like race, gender, and sexual orientation.

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29:43

lesson 6

The Unelected and Unaccountable Deep State

The growth of an administrative deep state in America places massive government power outside the control of American citizens. These unaccountable agencies determine the rules that govern society, execute those rules, and settle disputes, and they wield these combined powers to undermine the constitutional operations of American government.

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30:54

lesson 7

The Erosion of the Constitution

A common challenge to citizenship is the view that human nature changes and that fundamental laws need to be altered in favor of a modern understanding of progress and science. Today, the ruling class seeks to consolidate power and advance its progressive ends by making structural changes to the Constitution or circumventing it entirely.

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38:45

lesson 8

The Global Elite and the Great Reset

There is a growing movement to surrender American sovereignty to international bodies. This effort—championed by a global elite—excludes the participation of the American people and threatens our national security.

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Enroll in this free course on American citizenship today!

What Current Students Are Saying

I completed it in two days because each session was so fascinating I had to continue. I relayed this assessment to a half dozen of my friends. Special thanks to Professor Hanson for an exceptional job!

Thomas from Illinois

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