Can
you name the three branches of American government, legislative,
executive, and judicial? If so, you are among the one-half of
Americans who know this very basic fact about the U.S. government
and Constitution.
The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), which earlier has
conducted in-depth studies of what American college students know,
and don't know, about civics, now reports equally depressing facts
about grown-ups. It appears that adults, too, lack the civic
knowledge they need to be informed citizens and intelligent voters.
ISI administered a very basic
test on American history, government and economics to 2,500
Americans age 25 and older. The multiple-choice test asked citizens
to identify terms that everybody should know, such as the New Deal,
the Electoral College, Sputnik, I Have a Dream, and progressive tax.
The 2,500 adults scored an average of 49 percent; that means they
get a pitiful F. Those who had received a bachelor's degree averaged
57 percent on the test, compared to 44 percent for those with only a
high school diploma and, worse still, 164 adults who had held
elected office also scored an average of 44 percent.
Almost 40 percent of respondents said they thought the president
(rather than Congress) has the power to declare war. Only 50 percent
knew that Congress shares authority with the president over U.S.
foreign policy, and almost one in four thought Congress shares
authority over U.S. foreign policy with the United Nations.
Americans who lack knowledge of our country's history,
Constitution, and institutions really have no frame of reference to
judge current politics and policies. Federal
law requires public schools to teach about the U.S. Constitution
on Constitution Day, September 17, but it looks like American adults
need those lessons, too.
The 2006 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) Civics
Test revealed that the majority of eighth graders could
not explain the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. No
wonder young voters are not shocked at those who talk about
"interdependence," globalism, and becoming "citizens of the world."
It's not just that American citizens lack knowledge of historical
and constitutional facts about our country, but they also show a
declining appreciation of who we are. A survey by Harris Interactive
reported that 84 percent of respondents believe we have a unique
American identity, but 64 percent believe this identity is
weakening, and 24 percent believe we are already so divided that a
common national identity is impossible.
Political Correctness in colleges and public schools over the
last decade has gone a long way toward replacing patriotism with the
trendy dicta of multiculturalism, diversity and global citizenship.
Are we losing our identity as Americans?
To address this question, the Bradley Foundation has started a
national conversation on America's
National Identity called "E
Pluribus Unum." The question is, Is America still "from many,
one" ("indivisible," as our Pledge of Allegiance affirms), or are we
fast becoming "from one, many"?
A review of history textbooks used in public schools today
reveals a big source of the problem. Textbooks now emphasize
America's faults and mistakes rather than our incredible
achievements.
History textbooks should tell the exciting story that the United
States has produced nearly all the world's greatest inventions, and
that these inventions have produced living standards that are the
envy of the world. This exciting narrative is not based on Americans
being smarter than other nationalities, or our having more natural
resources than other countries, but on the wisdom of the Founding
Fathers who gave us the superior political and economic system
enshrined in our Constitution.
We should celebrate and honor our nation's heroes starting with
George Washington. Federal law (5
U.S.C. 6103) clearly specifies that the name of the "legal
public holiday" on the third Monday in February is "Washington's
Birthday."
Americans should refuse to buy the calendars that wrongly label
this February holiday as "President's Day." This calendar mischief
is very offensive because there are quite a few Presidents who are
not worthy of a special "Day."
Maintaining our national identity depends on keeping our
Constitution safe from the supremacist judges who want to change it
to comport with what they call "emerging standards." Our national
identity depends on keeping English as our official, national
language so we don't suffer the conflicts endured by nations with
competing languages.
America was founded by men who shared a common inheritance in the
British rule of law developed over centuries (beginning with the
Magna Carta), the Christian religion, and the English language. They
also shared the belief later expressed by Alexis de Toqueville that
America is "quite exceptional" and by Ronald Reagan that America is
"the shining city on the hill."
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