The Political and Historical Ignorance of the American People

It’s often joked that Americans are generally ignorant of both our history and government.

And it’s true.

Recent polling revealed that only twenty-five percent of us can name all three branches of the Federal government  -   one-third cannot name even one.

Nearly forty percent don’t know what is in the 1^st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

A decade or so ago  -  a Congresswoman, a lawyer, a Presidential candidate  (and a Republican, I might add)  didn’t know that Lexington and Concord, the sites for the revolutionary shots heard around the world, were  in Massachusetts  - not New Hampshire.

More than thirty percent of the public doesn’t know that the War of 1812 came after the American Revolution.

These facts are not amusing  -  they are disturbing and alarming.

How can we expect our fellow Americans to value and support our nation when they don’t understand how it’s governed or its history?

Many of us view our land as “a shining city on a hill”  --  as a beacon of hope for the rest of the world.  We stand for democracy and freedom.

But, given the paucity of knowledge in the general public, we should not be surprised when even policy leaders fail to recognize our exceptional nature.  Thus, President Obama tells a European audience that other countries think they are exceptional, too.  And New York’s governor recently said he doesn’t see what’s so great about America.

What’s happened?  Civics instruction used to be a backbone of public education.  It was seen as vital for the task of instructing young people in American values of respect and appreciation for freedom, independence and self-government.

As a matter of fact, civics instruction  -  generally speaking  -  still exists in most of America’s public schools.  But it’s no longer considered as important as it once was. 

Our nation’s long-term health and even its survival may depend on reordering our educational priorities.