In light of the Trump Administration’s attempts to reshape federal agencies outside of its authority, there has been an on-going conversation about how the branches of government are meant to interact at the federal level. And there’s been a lot of confusion — and misinformation — about who truly has power in our government.
But even at the state level, these questions can be confusing — for adults and children alike. The Wisconsin Historical Society’s new edition of Voices & Votes: How Democracy Works in Wisconsin is written for kids first learning about how our state government works. But it’s a good lesson for all of us who are interested in understanding our government and how we can enact change.
“One common misconception is that government is this very abstract, faraway thing that people don't really interact with,” says Jonathan Kasparek, a UW-Milwaukee at Waukesha history professor who worked on the book.
Through the stories of elected officials, civil rights activists and suffragettes, Voices & Votes highlights Wisconsinites who worked to change government policy and improve their communities. Kasparek hopes readers and students will be inspired by figures such as Bob La Follette, Vel Phillips, Ezekiel Gillespie and others.
“Really, what we want to show in this book is that there are city governments, there are county governments and there are lots of ways for people to be involved and to have an impact on government and really make democracy work,” he says.
Abby Pfisterer, the Wisconsin Historical Society’s director of PK-12 Education, says the book is also an ode to those lesser-known agents of change who don’t make it into history textbooks.
“Those are really great touch points because they're common names—we hear them frequently in curriculum and in classrooms,” she says. “But for me, it's the stories of people who weren't known as well that I find make this book powerful, and in particular, the way that each chapter wraps up with a vignette about young people.”
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