THE ICYMI
What you forgot, missed, unlearned, or never were taught about civic life.
What you forgot, missed, unlearned, or never were taught about civic life.
There's a widespread assumption that you should've learned everything you need to be active in American civic life when you were in school. The ICYMI - or "in case you missed it" - covers what you probably should have learned in school and may have missed, forgotten, or never been taught.
But really, what you did or didn't learn in school isn't relevant when you need to know something now. School-based civic education has never covered everything you should know about civic life. And even if you had some outstanding social studies teachers (hi, Mr. Bergland!), civic education can't just stop when you leave school.
So, in case you missed it, here are some important bits of the Constitution and of history that won't make you feel like you're back in fifth grade - or that you need a degree in political science to understand.