Citizenship the Charlotte Mason way

What is Citizenship, exactly? Charlotte Mason considered the subject of citizenship as intertwined with history. Citizenship encompasses a study of government, politics, and current events. Younger children absorb much through stories and the citizenship subject is explored more in-depth in the higher years. This is common in a Charlotte Mason education.

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Children familiar with the great idea of a State in the sense, not of a government but of the people, learn readily enough about the laws, customs and government of their country; learn, too, with great interest something about themselves, mind and body, heart and soul, because they feel it is well to know what they have in them to give to their country.

Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education, Volume 6, Chapter 10, Section 2c

Form 1

In 1st to 3rd grades (Form I), Charlotte Mason says “children begin to gather conclusions as to the general life of the community from tales, fables, and the story of one or another great citizen”

During our first history cycle with ancient history, my 1st graders read “50 Famous Stories Retold” which presents short biographies of legendary people.

There is also much to learn from reading Bible stories, where leaders are presented as whole people with good and bad traits. People like King Saul, King David, Queen Esther and Mordecai …these are all people who were involved in government.

I look for biographies of inspirational citizens in every country study that we do. A few examples: Malala Yousafzai from my Pakistan country study and Farmer Tantoh from my Cameroon country study.

Make it Specific to your Country

Make this applicable to the country that you live in. We live in the United States, so we read stories of presidents and visit their presidential homes and museums—even the ones that we adults might not personally like very much! Of course the presidential museum is going to emphasize the history-altering events in a positive manner. We go, learn all that we can, hold that history and try to look at it from more than one point of view.

We also read many picture book and short chapter book biographies about other important Americans who were leaders and thinkers. Here are a few examples:

• Benjamin Banneker
  • Short Chapter Book: “What Are You Figuring Now?”
  • Picture Book: “Dear Benjamin Banneker“
  • An On My Own Reader: “Benjamin Banneker: Pioneering Scientist“
• Benjamin Franklin
  • Wordy Picture Book: “The Remarkable Benjamin Franklin”
  • My Benjamin Franklin booklist
• Booker T. Washington
  • Picture Book: “With Books and Bricks”
• George Washington Carver
  • Picture Book “The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver“
  • Chapter Book: “The Groundbreaking, Chance-Taking Life of George Washington Carver and Science and Invention in America“
• Susan B. Anthony
  • “Two friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass”
• Martin Luther King Jr and Coretta Scott King
  • “A Place to Land: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Speech That Inspired a Nation“
  • “Coretta’s Journey: The Life and Times of Coretta Scott King“
  • “Coretta : the autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King“
• Wong Kim Ark
  • “I Am An American”

Form II

In 4th-6th grades (Form II), she says “Citizenship becomes a definite subject…of what may be called the inspiration of citizenship” and recommends adding “Plutarch’s Lives” from 4th-12th grades.

Plutarch was an ancient Greek historian who wrote biographies of famous Greek and Roman leaders. Plutarch included the good and bad sides of the person, and Mason felt this was important. “Children like ourselves must see life whole if they are to profit.”

We really enjoy reading Plutarch with Anne White’s study guides. You can read them directly from the Ambleside Online website or buy a physical copy. 

I’ll admit, Plutarch is not easy to read. With my 6th grade twins, I either read Plutarch aloud or sit next to each of them while they read it so we can untangle sentences and ideas on the spot. It’s getting better after two years! Also, don’t feel pressured to read one per term. We definitely take longer than 12 weeks, and that is okay!

Form III and Beyond

From 7th-12th grades, students can read two books by Charlotte Mason own books that she wrote for them. These two works are “Self-Knowledge” and “Self-Direction” and compiled in the 4th CM volume called “Ourselves.”

Other amazing Citizenship studies for this age group include Government, Economics, and Current Events. I’m still researching what these last three subjects will look like for us next year, but I’m very excited to fill in my own knowledge gaps in this area as we learn together.

Check out these books to help with Understanding the US Constitution