Long live the Republic! Our young hearts were truly kindled, marching side by side, waving our signs amidst the honking of horns, and being part of something bigger than us.

Liberty!

Rule of Law!

Constitution!

These words were so beautiful, so strong, and we were young. I was one of them, Generation Joshua.

I've been seeing a lot of criticism of teen activism lately, and this makes me indignant.

I'm no longer a teenager, but it is perfectly normal and healthy for teenagers to stand up against injustice and learn more about politics.

Teens have been involved in activism throughout history- the American Revolution, the barricades of 1848, and the Civil War.

In a modern sense, teen activism began with Generation Joshua, a conservative American organization for youth civics education. Social media and the ease of communication has helped young people to explore more about the political world- which their minds are naturally inclined to want to learn more about.

Who were these young people campaigning for another world? Oh to be there among them, when we were teenagers and nothing was beyond our reach. Thousands of teenagers in the 2010s were active in this movement, from all across the United States. We stood side by side waiting and longing for a better world. Little did we know our hopes and dreams would be betrayed by our own party!

The point is, teen activism has been common throughout history, but we owe credit of modern teenage activism in the digital age to Generation Joshua.

The year was 2010, we were two years into a "constitutional crises" (or so it was called), the Democrats had a supermajority in Congress, and as I mentioned in other articles- whenever anybody has a supermajority in a two-party system, the results will not be good and discontent would brew.

So what happened in 2010? The midterm elections!!

A lot of people don't realize this, but do you know that teenagers were the main ones to bring the Republicans into the House of Representatives? Years later, many of these teenagers became the Republican resistance to Trump and stood against him. Cool right? Anyway, back to 2010.

Citizen! You have arrived!


Signs read rather shocking inflammatory statements. It is very apparent in the mood of masses that there is a lot of discontent in this country!

Obama sighs loudly in this Oval Office and shakes his head wondering how it all came down to this. Nancy Pelosi in a fit of a rage exclaims "do I care what these people think?" She pauses and instantly regrets what she said.

The crowd moves closer, waving signs and chanting.

Wait no, back it up! Take me away from these barricades!

Alright citizen, that action you just saw was what the world was looking at. But allow me to change scenes. Obama, Pelosi, and the angry protestors may move backstage for a bit.

Enter- the youth of America!

Huddled at their computers and logging into generationjoshua.org were thousands of teenagers. homeschooled kids reading the "Communist Manifesto," "Locke's Second Treatise," "Les Miserables," and other works. They would gather on the chat and the forums and discuss these great literary works.

Were they Republicans? Were they Libertarians? Were they Democrats?

In all sincerity, I can't say. For conservative then, does not mean what it does now. Many of my comrades from that movement joined to become the NeverTrump Republicans or Independents.

But alas! Back then we were united. Generation Joshua was not intended at first to be an activist organization. It was and remains to this day an educational position. We were never told what to believe, we were given books- the classics of "Constitutional Law and Political Theory." We were to discuss these books amongst ourselves. We had mock government camps with scenarios in which we would play the parts of Senators and Congressmen.
Now here comes the activism. We also campaigned for pro-life and pro-homeschooling candidates. This was my first glimpse into the world of activism- a world that now seems so far away.

We took in large numbers during the Protests of 2010 to campaign across the nation to end the Democrat's supermajority.

Long story short, teenagers stationed in several key races through "Get out the Vote" strategies (door-knocking, literature drops, and phone banking) played an instrumental role in flipping the House in 2010, and the Senate in 2012.

As a disclaimer- I'm saddened by what the Republican Party has become, and I disapprove of what they are doing currently. This is not what I fought for, and this is not what my friends fought for.

I'm very proud of teenagers today taking a stand for their beliefs. To them- thank you! I'm now in my early 20s, but teen activism changed the way I saw politics.

Your teenage years are known in psychology as "identity vs role confusion." It is perfectly normal for you to explore your political views and ideology. But please be open to change, and critique if you find out you are misinformed. It is alright- we are all learning still! But if you know you are right, speak the truth and stand up for your beliefs.

I hope that in 2018, we set a good example, and I urge young people to continue being active and involved.
We had in 2010 and in 2018 social media and the internet bringing us together.

Before we criticize teen activism, remember this is a healthy and normal part of development. We live in a free country where teens can speak up!

If teenagers make a mistake in politics or say something that is factually incorrect- encourage them to check sources. We need to take the teens under our wings and teach them more about politics and how to make their voices heard.

Charles Jeanne, leader of the Saint-Merri Barricade in 1832 (he was in his 30s at the time) said this:

Ever since I reached the age of reason, my one hope and desire, the dream of my every moment was the liberty of my country!

Your teenage years are the age of reason, use them to learn all you can about politics and things that affect your daily life. If you know a teenager- talk to them about politics. Get coffee and talk politics and religion and remember to encourage them. It is a dream of mine that the Generation Joshua education methods will extend someday into public school and liberal circles as well.

It is never too early to learn about politics and to speak up for what is right.