Sharon McMahon: “America’s Government Teacher,” Hope for Better Things

Friends, today’s episode is a powerhouse! We’ve got Sharon McMahon, aka “America’s Government Teacher,” bringing some serious wisdom from her new book, "The Small and the Mighty." Even the drafters of the Constitution worried about chaos, but they hoped for better things—and Sharon’s here to show us how twelve lesser-known heroes in American history made a huge impact on democracy. She’s drawing parallels to how we can still shape our future today, no matter how small we feel. Get ready to be inspired, y’all! Let’s dive in!

In this hope-filled chat:

• Jen and Amy muse around which historical figures they would most like to meet and we get a glimpse of their preferred election night routines
• Sharon highlights the arc of her career from an award-winning yarn influencer known as the Yarnista, to a photographer, to “America’s Government Teacher”
• We discuss the need for reliable sources of factual information in a world filled to the brim with fake news and disinformation
• Sharon explains why we shouldn’t sit out during state and local elections
• We talk about a variety of ways to engage in democracy beyond just voting
• And Sharon fields questions from members of our audience.

***

Thought-provoking Quotes:

“We’re all tired, we’re exhausted from the endless partisanship and the fake news and the disinformation and vitriol.” – Jen Hatmaker

“I started noticing that there were a lot of people that were just really confidently wrong on the internet, saying things like ‘the electoral college is a university you can graduate from’.”– Sharon McMahon

“There’s a big list of people, especially women, who never, ever get the credit when it comes to the civil rights movement – it’s the attorneys, it's the Thurgood Marshalls, it’s the Freddie Grays,  it’s the Martin Luther Kings.,and, of course, what they did is incredibly important but… there are a lot of women with whom this hot air balloon does not get off the ground. There is no leaving the ground without the significant contributions of women.” – Sharon McMahon

“We have to stop viewing this as a zero sum game in which our enemies must be defeated or destroyed. That’s an onramp to dictatorship.” – Sharon McMahon

“There are many ways to be involved in democracy. It’s not just voting and running for office. There’s not one prescription for how to be involved. Do things you are good at and contribute in your own way. We can’t all be parade goers.” – Sharon McMahon

“We tend to put all of our eggs in this basket of who will win the presidential election but who gets elected in your state matters so much. The things that really affect your daily life are defined at the state and local level.” – Sharon McMahon

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

The Henry Fite House of Baltimore - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fite_House

The Angry Trout Cafe, Grand Mariais, MN - https://www.angrytroutcafe.com/

The Small and the Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, from the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement by Sharon McMahon - https://amzn.to/3NsoqjI

Guest’s Links:

Sharon’s website - https://sharonmcmahon.com/

Sharon’s Newsletter, The Preamble - https://thepreamble.com/

Sharon’s Governerds Boo