How Much do Americans Know about the Founding?

[IUGradStudent]

The American Revolution Center just published the results of the first national survey of US adults to see what they know about the American Revolution. Here's their press release:

Education Resources | American Revolution Center

National Survey The American Revolution Center commissioned the first national survey to assess adult knowledge of the American Revolution. The results show that an alarming 83 percent of Americans failed a basic test on knowledge of the American Revolution and the principles that have united all Americans. Results also revealed that 90 percent of Americans think that knowledge of the American Revolution and its principles is very important, and that 89 percent of Americans expected to pass a test on basic knowledge of the American Revolution, but scored an average of 44 percent. The survey questions addressed issues related to the Revolutionary documents, people, and events, and also asked attitudinal questions about the respondents’ perception of the importance of understanding the Revolutionary history and the institutions that were established to preserve our freedoms and liberties. The survey results highlight the importance of, interest in, and lack of understanding of our Founding. For a printable PDF copy of the survey, click here.

Some other tasty tidbits from the report itself (linked to at the end of the press release). These are mindblowing:

On the 27-question test within the survey, a
national sample of American adults scored an
average of only 44 percent correct.

l Nearly 83 percent received a failing grade.

l Only four of the 27 questions were answered
correctly by 70 percent or more of respondents.

l Half did not have even a basic understanding of
historical chronology, believing that either the
Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation, or War of
1812 occurred before the American Revolution.

l Many more Americans knew that Michael
Jackson authored “Beat It” and “Billie Jean” than
knew that James Madison was the Father of the
Constitution, or that Alexander Hamilton was the
first Treasury Secretary.

l Only 11 percent of Americans could identify John
Jay as the first Chief Justice of the United States
Supreme Court. Compare that to the 60 percent
who knew the number of children of Jon and Kate
Gosselin, a reality-TV show couple.

l More than 50 percent of Americans wrongly
attributed the quote “From each according to his
ability, to each according to his needs” to either
George Washington, Thomas Paine, or President
Barack Obama, when it is in fact a quote from
Karl Marx, author of The Communist Manifesto.

l One-third did not know that the right to a jury
trial is covered in the Bill of Rights, while 40
percent mistakenly thought that the right to
vote is.

l From a list of major battles, two-thirds of
Americans could not correctly name Yorktown
as the last major military action of the American
Revolution.

But Americans think they know more than
they really do know. When asked to give
themselves a grade on their knowledge of
American Revolution history before taking
the test, 89 percent gave themselves a passing
grade, while only 3 percent gave themselves
an F, and 8 percent gave themselves a D.

 

[jedi]

Not a "fair" comparision in the "john & kate" plus "1st chief justise". J&K are in the media spotlight a lot right now as it Tiger woods. Emails, news, forum threads all abound on this topic. Water coolor talk, etc.. Can't recall the last time I heard anything about the 1st chief justise and/or the rev. war or all the stuff around it.

Yes it's sad we don't have the knoweldge but the brgh spot is that 90% of the ault say it is important! So their heart is in the right place. Which is a start.

 

[jeremy]

Not really surprising now is it...

I would like to see the questions though.

 

[45calibre]

there are many things people dont know about the founding fathers such as
thomas jefferson raping his 13 year old slave and benjamin franklin running whores and having many illegitamate children. i think it might be the other way around though im not sure.

but they're the founding fathers right!?

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

The American Revolution Center just published the results of the first national survey of US adults to see what they know about the American Revolution. Here's their press release:

Education Resources | American Revolution Center


Some other tasty tidbits from the report itself (linked to at the end of the press release). These are mindblowing:

We've got a kinder, gentler machinegun hand...

and a citizenry which doesn't know a single thing.

A total disgrace are we for whom our forebears laid down their lives.


I've learned as much I could about the American Revolution, and it's disappointing to see that so many of my countrymen could so easily forget the details of the unlikely creation of this nation: it's disappointing and infuriating.

But as I've said elsewhere, for anyone to raise a rifle in combat, they must first put down the iPod and laptop.

 

[haldir]

Not really surprising now is it...

I would like to see the questions though.

They have a 10 question test there on the website that you can take. It may give you a taste. I missed 2. I did not know who Haym Solomon was or Joseph Armistead.

 

[SavageEagle]

That's pretty disturbing. It just shows that more people care more about fashion and art than they do about their heritage and history...

 

[Ter]

I'm not surprised with the survey result. Most of the people I work with have no clue.
A few weeks ago the manager decided to play "stump Ter". Every time I went up front to the store he would ask a question about the Revolution. Trying to stump me.
I thought he had a good knowledge of the subject. Turns out he was using the INTERNET to find questions.

 

[tharlow514]

Yea, I am not too surprised either. I have a feeling that children are not learning enough about this in school either. By the way, this was taken from the summary of the suvey.

When asked to rate the importance​

of certain rights embodied in our
nation’s Founding documents, it
is striking that from 20 percent​

to more than half of Americans​

considered many of these rights to
be less than essential. The great​

​

est
proportion of Americans (80​

percent) cited the right to a fair
trial and the right to practice the
religion of your choice as essential.
The strongest support for the right​

to a fair trial came from the North​

​

east
(90 percent), while religious
freedom was most highly valued in
the Midwest (nearly 90 percent).
College-educated Americans valued
every right—with the exception
of the right to bear arms—more​

highly than any other group.

That is the most alarming trend to me. College kids don't seem to think the right to bear arms is as important as other rights.

 

[CarmelHP]

there are many things people dont know about the founding fathers such as
thomas jefferson raping his 13 year old slave and benjamin franklin running whores and having many illegitamate children. i think it might be the other way around though im not sure.

but they're the founding fathers right!?

And others know many things that are not true, but let not a good calumny go to waste.

 

[DaveD]

there are many things people dont know about the founding fathers such as
thomas jefferson raping his 13 year old slave and benjamin franklin running whores and having many illegitamate children. i think it might be the other way around though im not sure.

but they're the founding fathers right!?

Well, knowing that our Founding Fathers were not anymore perfect than the rest of us - I'll bite.

However to keep this from would you please PM me your sources so that I may confirm this information.

Otherwise I may have to raise the BS Flag

 

[Ter]

College-educated Americans valued
every right—with the exception
of the right to bear arms

It starts in High School. The text book my sons used in HS had one chapter on the Constitution. The part on the Bill of Rights listed each amendment with an explanation of that right. For the Second Amendment the explanation was that it was outdated and had no purpose in a modern world.

 

[tharlow514]

It starts in High School. The text book my sons used in HS had one chapter on the Constitution. The part on the Bill of Rights listed each amendment with an explanation of that right. For the Second Amendment the explanation was that it was outdated and had no purpose in a modern world.

I guess we are not living in a modern world then.

 

[SavageEagle]

It starts in High School. The text book my sons used in HS had one chapter on the Constitution. The part on the Bill of Rights listed each amendment with an explanation of that right. For the Second Amendment the explanation was that it was outdated and had no purpose in a modern world.

That's not the earliest. Rest assured. My daughter was taught about the Bill of Rights this year and last. Never once was the 2A discussed except in passing. Her test of the subject included almost every amendment except the 2, 8, and 9th. Why the eight was excluded I don't know.

I forgot to add, she's in the 4th grade.

 

[evansvillethompsongunner]

It starts in High School. The text book my sons used in HS had one chapter on the Constitution. The part on the Bill of Rights listed each amendment with an explanation of that right. For the Second Amendment the explanation was that it was outdated and had no purpose in a modern world.

Wow.

I am probably the second-to-last person on Earth who would ever burn books... but that piece-of-filth made me mentally set it alight a couple dozen times over.

ONE CHAPTER to the most enduring, most noble, most meaningful document ever to be penned in the history of mankind, with perhaps only the Magna Carta as even a distant second? Perish the thought that it be given anything less than the entire text for perusal.

God.... I need more Norvasc; my blood pressure is going through the roof.

 

[dross]

It starts in High School. The text book my sons used in HS had one chapter on the Constitution. The part on the Bill of Rights listed each amendment with an explanation of that right. For the Second Amendment the explanation was that it was outdated and had no purpose in a modern world.

Do you know the name and publisher of that text book? If you do or can find it, let me know. I would buy a copy and write down the high school and a confirmed date it was used, and I would use that as evidence in the many arguments I find myself in with leftie friends who insist my claims of obvious academic/journalistic/cultural left bias puts me in the black helicopter/tinfoil hat crowd.

 

[dross]

there are many things people dont know about the founding fathers such as
thomas jefferson raping his 13 year old slave and benjamin franklin running whores and having many illegitamate children. i think it might be the other way around though im not sure.

but they're the founding fathers right!?

Please provide cites and back up these outrageous statements. By "running whores" you're saying Benjamin Franklin was a pimp? Never have I heard that.

Jefferson raping a 13 year old? Or are you talking about Sally Hemings? The only conclusion that can be made from the existing evidence is that we don't know whether or not he had a sexual relationship with Sally Hemings. By "we don't know" I mean we don't know. Any other conclusion is pure speculation. Even if he did have a sexual relationship, rape is speculation built on speculation.

Defend yourself, or be man enough to admit you're just making things up.

 

[inxs]

Some of this confusion is good. How many people have actually read the Constitution? In Junior High we had to memorize the Preamble which is useless, but we did have to read the entire Constitution and take a test- of course the Supt. of Public Instruction was a John Bircher...

 

[Ter]

ONE CHAPTER to the most enduring, most noble, most meaningful document ever to be penned in the history of mankind, with perhaps only the Magna Carta as even a distant second? Perish the thought that it be given anything less than the entire text for perusal.

I went round and round with the school over this and the only reply I was given was "we have to much invested in the books to do anything about it."

Do you know the name and publisher of that text book? If you do or can find it, let me know. I would buy a copy and write down the high school and a confirmed date it was used, and I would use that as evidence in the many arguments I find myself in with leftie friends who insist my claims of obvious academic/journalistic/cultural left bias puts me in the black helicopter/tinfoil hat crowd.

Sorry, It's been several years since my boys graduated high school.

 

[bigiron]

my kids school started a program this year called "We the People.....". its a comprehensive study of the Constitution and how our great country started. as i understand it, this starts locally in your school and you can compete locally, within the state or even nationally if you choose to do so. we have been involved since the first of the year when it started and my son has loved it. it is extra-curricular so its in the evening. he has gotten as much education out of it as i have. admittedly, i have forgotten much of what i have learned or cared to pay attention to since school. this has not only been exciting and educational for him(the important part) but me as well. if you're interested heres the link to the main website which will help direct you:Center for Civic Education Introduction


otherwise drop a line to your school and maybe they can help. i don't endorse much but this is really great.

jeff