Every Citizen a Scholar

Guest Opinion by Jason J. Keeley

“A diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.”

These are the words of James Madison, Fourth President of the United States and Father of the Constitution. As leader of the Montgomery Action Group, I’ve taken these words to heart. I believe that knowledge of why we believe what we do, that intellectual rigor to defend one’s stance not as mere beliefs or opinions but as indisputable fact, is indispensable to the cause of constitutional conservatism.

When I started this group alongside Jennifer Epperson and Janice Griffin in May of 2025, I was just an eager teenager with an idea. But that idea turned into action, and that action created a lasting community into October, when we had our last meeting for the year before resting for the holiday season. Six months of putting an idea into action. Everything starts small, and I believe this group will be one of those small startups that grows into something big.

The basis of the group is relatively simple: we enjoy the free learning material from Hillsdale College, then meet together to discuss it and expand our civic knowledge. But here is the singular idea that gave birth to this discussion: Every Citizen a Scholar. This is not in the sense of seeking approval from the ivory towers of elitist universities, but in the Jeffersonian and Athenian sense of public virtue and intelligence, the very basis for why we

Politics, especially modern politics, is frightening and deceptive, but, in the words of Founding Father Samuel Adams, “[Virtue and knowledge] will be their great Security.” Not only is it our great security, but it is our only security. When every citizen is a voter, every citizen becomes both the politician’s employer and terminator, and shouldn’t the employer who hires and fires be informed enough to know who ought to be hired and who ought to be fired and for what reason? An employer should not be tricked into hiring someone unqualified or diverting blame away from the incompetent employee. This being the truth, common sense affirms that it is then necessary for every citizen to be a scholar.

It is a well-known expression to say that when much is given, much is expected, and with much power comes much responsibility. The citizens—you, your family, and your neighbors—have been given a country, the best and most powerful nation on Earth. You have immense responsibility to steward it well. God gave us this blessing; we ought not to squander it with ignorance. If we do not know what is good for her and why those things are good for her, then we will not be able to stop those who wish to poison her, and we ourselves may fall into their deceptions. I pray to see others establish similar groups to train themselves in the art of citizenry. There is no greater necessity in our republic than the public virtue and intellect, our great security and guardian of true liberty.

Jason Keeley is a political science student at Auburn University at Montgomery. He is an Eagle Forum action group leader and has served as a page in the Alabama Senate and is currently an intern for the Barry Moore for Senate campaign. To contact, email JasonKeeley6@gmail.com.

For more information on the Montgomery Eagle Forum Action Group, follow them on Facebook.

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