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The Daily Signal
Americans Have
Almost Entirely Forgotten Their History
Jarrett Stepman
October 04, 2018
In America, we celebrate democracy and are justifiably proud that this
nation was founded on the idea that the people should rule.
That’s why it is so important that Americans be informed about their
government. They are partakers in it. In fact, they control it.
Under tyrannical systems, it matters little if the people are informed
about political life. Autocrats make decisions for the people whether
they like it or not. But in our republic, we rely on the informed
decision-making of citizens to judge policies and the leaders who will
implement them.
Unfortunately, we are not very well-informed.
According to a recently released survey, Americans are woefully
uneducated about the most basic facts of our history, to the point
where most couldn’t even pass a basic citizenship test.
A study by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation found that
only 1 in 3 Americans can actually pass the U.S. citizenship test,
which asks the most basic questions about our history and how our
system of government works.
Passing the test requires answering 60 percent of questions correctly,
but a majority of those participating in the survey couldn’t even do
that.
“With voters heading to the polls next month, an informed and engaged
citizenry is essential,” Arthur Levine, president of the Woodrow Wilson
Fellowship Foundation, said.
“Unfortunately, this study found the average American to be woefully
uninformed regarding America’s history and incapable of passing the
U.S. citizenship test. It would be an error to view these findings as
merely an embarrassment. Knowledge of the history of our country is
fundamental to maintaining a democratic society, which is imperiled
today.”
The survey listed some of the embarrassing answers given on the test.
-Seventy-two percent of respondents either incorrectly identified or
were unsure which states comprised the original 13 colonies;
-Only 24 percent could correctly identify one thing Benjamin Franklin
was famous for, with 37 percent believing he invented the lightbulb;
-Only 24 percent knew the correct answer as to why the colonists fought
the British;
-Twelve percent incorrectly thought WWII General Dwight Eisenhower led
troops in the Civil War, while 6 percent thought he was a Vietnam War
general;
-While most knew the cause of the Cold War, 2 percent said it was
climate change.
Young people performed worst on the test. Out of all test-takers under
the age of 45, only 19 percent passed.
Given these numbers, it’s no wonder why so many young Americans say
they would rather live under socialism than capitalism, and have little
understanding of what that would mean in reality.
On the one hand, there is a case for forgetting history. Many cultures
cling to historical grievances to the point where history becomes a
major impediment to future success. Treated wrongly, historical memory
can be toxic rather than helpful.
We don’t want to become trapped by the past, but we do want to learn
from it in order to avoid repeating past mistakes and build a better
future. As citizens, knowledge of the past and of civics is crucial.
Lacking such knowledge is unhealthy for a free country, and even
dangerous, given how bad political life can become.
One of our biggest problems today is that we often focus on tearing
down our history rather than learning from it. That needs to change.
If these sobering test results tell us anything, it’s that we need to
consider a fundamental change in how we approach education in the
United States. And despite what some voices say, education funding is
not the problem.
The U.S. ranks, globally, near the top in spending on elementary and
secondary education, yet we don’t appear to be getting much bang for
the buck. Perhaps it’s time we take a harder look at the public school
monopoly that’s failing students and leaving generations of Americans
without a basic understanding of our past.
More generally, we’ve failed to uphold Ronald Reagan’s call for an
informed patriotism and more civic ritual—necessary qualities for the
maintenance of a free country—in favor of negative and ideologically
narrow accounts of America’s past now en vogue in our schools.
This is a recipe for a dark future and needs to change.
Read this and other articles at The Daily Signal
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