William Bennett, "America at Risk: Can We Survive Without Moral Values?"

William Bennett (1943- ) was born in Brooklyn and earned a B.A. from Williams College in 1965, a Ph.D. from the University of Texas in 1970, and a J.D. from Harvard University in 1971. He's been a university administrator and professor, a lawyer in private practice, "drug czar" under President George Bush, and Secretary of Education under President Ronald Reagan. His books include Our Children and Our Country: Improving America's Schools and Affirming the Common Culture (1988), The De-Valuing of America: The Fight for Our Culture and Our Children (1992), The Book of Virtues for Young People: A Treasury of Great Moral Stories (1996), and The Death of Outrage: Bill Clinton and the Assault on American Ideals (1998). He also contributes frequently to periodicals such as the Wall Street Journal, New Perspectives Quarterly, and the Los Angeles Times. "America at Risk: Can We Survive Without Moral Values?" which zeroes in on the family to answer this question, was first published in USA Today Magazine in 1994.

CONTENT

1. How does the author characterize government spending since 1960?
2. Who is Walker Percy and why does Bennett mention him?
3. According to Bennett, what American institution has suffered the most over the last four decades or so?
4. What two main things are being compared in paragraph three?
5. What problem does Bennett have with no-fault divorces?
6. According to the author, what are some of the recent failures of liberalism?
7. Discuss the three reasons the author gives in his accounting of "America's social regression."

STRATEGY AND STYLE

1. Review your answer to "Content" question d.) above, and take a look at the support Bennett provides in that paragraph. Are his examples parallel to each other? Do you find them persuasive?
2. Discuss this piece as a cause and effect essay. What are the main causes and main effects? Do any of the effects themselves become causes? Explain.
3. What numerical structural signals does the author provide in paragraphs six through nine? What is the advantage of employing such a technique? What would the piece lose without them?
4. In his conclusion, Bennett suggests that Republicans adopt "a calm, civilized, and reasoned" tone in order to get their points across to the nation. Has Bennett done that in his essay to get his points across to his audience? Explain, with specific references to your text.

1. How would you describe your relationship with your family? How might these feelings have interacted with your experience of reading this piece?
2. Do you consider yourself a Democrat? A Republican? Something else? Not political? How might your stance here have affected your reading of this essay?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUSTAINED WRITING

1. In paragraph ten, in the last sentence, Bennett turns a famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr. on its head. Identify both quotes and write a comparison/contrast essay about what both men mean by them.
2. Using specific current examples—some could include euthanasia, the death penalty, abortion—and your reading, write an essay about the government's proper role in deciding moral matters.

FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Review paragraph four, in which Bennett provides some statistics about birth out of wedlock. He predicts that these numbers would rise to 40% of all births and 80% of minority births by the year 2001. Do some research to find out how accurate his predictions were. Explain any discrepancy.

WEB CONNECTION

Here is a book review of Bennett's Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and the War on Terrorism. What does the author of the review think of Bennett's book? What did you learn about the book from the review? What positions of Bennett's would you have to consult the book itself to find out?

LINKS

Biographical

The Harry Walker speaking agency prepared this page about Bennett's life, which also has a photo and some links to information about his books, some videos, and some recent news.

This is Bennett's biography and a photo from Empower.org, an organization of which he is co-director.

Here is Bennett's biography and a photo from the Heritage Foundation. How does this brief bio differ from the one above? What probably accounts for the difference? If you had to choose one of these to cite for a research paper, which would it be?

Bibliographical

In this National Reviewinterview called "Why We Fight," Bennett discusses why the U.S. was "morally and intellectually unprepared" for the terrorist attacks of September 11^th.

"The Next Chapter in American Education" is the name of an essay Bennett wrote for the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

Bennett is chairman of a group called Americans for Victory Over Terrorism (AVOT). Click here to read his "Open Letter" about the group, which puts forth the rationale and aims of AVOT.

Cultural

Would you like to take a systematic look at some of the major issues in U.S. education? The homepage of the U.S. Department of Education is a great place to start.

Read this essay entitled "Thank You, William J. Bennett," about Bennett's views of the U.S.'s war on drugs. What does the author of the essay feel about Bennett's views? Would you be comfortable using this piece in a paper about Bennett? Why or why not?

Interested in doing some research about the war on drugs but not sure where to start? Take a look at this directory from Google.com, where you're sure to get a good idea or two.