Report asked pupils about Senate word length, Gettysburg Address, U. S. Constitution
According to a recent study by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, college students lack a “rudimentary knowledge” of American history and state.
The 35-question review,” Losing America’s Memory 2.0″, asked more than 3, 000 students from all 50 states concerns about past and authorities, including Senate term length and a offer from the Gettysburg Address, according to ACTA. College Pulse conducted the survey in June.
In a new contact, ACTA Vice President for Policy Bradley Jackson wrote,” It seems that many individuals are totally tuned out of politics and lack the knowledge to participate effectively. ” In a democracy, that is a formula for devastation”.
Only 27 % of individuals were able to identify Kamala Harris correctly when asked who is the latest U.S. Senate leader, and over a quarter of pupils assumed President Joe Biden.
Some kids were aware of the six-year size of a U. S. Senate name. Almost a third ( 31 percent ) thought it was a four-year term. Likewise, nearly a fifth ( 19 percent ) incorrectly said representatives to the U. S. House serve a four-year term, they serve two years.
Jackson said he was mainly concerned by another getting: that only 23 percent of individuals could detect the Gettysburg Address as the cause of the offer, “government of the people, by the people, for the citizens”.
” If the people no longer care to understand their government, if they are ignorant of its history and its institutions, a government like ours cannot long stand, according to America’s Founders and later heroes like Lincoln”, Jackson told The Fix.
Additionally, 37 percent of the students correctly identified the current chief justice of the Supreme Court, but 32 percent responded they were” not sure”. Less than one-third ( 31 percent ) were able to identify James Madison as the Father of the Constitution, with almost half ( 44 percent ) incorrectly responding with Thomas Jefferson.
Wilfred McClay, a historian and professor at Hillsdale College, stated in a recent email that the survey found that 57 percent of students would flee the country rather than stay and fight in the event of an invasion. McClay said he was “appalled and saddened” by another finding.
” This reflects a social malady, a sickness of the soul, that runs deeper than just a lack of knowledge”, McClay said. However, rededicating ourselves to a proper civic and historical education is one of the best ways to begin eradicating that malady.
One of ACTA’s objectives is to require students to take a course on American history and government before earning their degree. Currently, fewer than 20 percent of colleges nationwide require this, Jackson said.
In addition to these courses, Jackson said an education in proper debate is necessary for America’s youth. Programs that train students to have “empathy, tenacity, and mental agility” for conversations with people who share different views are just as critical as ideological or political knowledge, he said.
The K-12 education system has significantly improved the situation, according to the scholars who spoke to The Fix. Jackson and McClay both blamed the media and entertainment industry for putting reality television and fandom before informed citizens.
The issue “really begins in primary and secondary education, including the textbooks used in those schools, and is significantly reinforced by a popular culture that accepts and echoes the worst mischaracterizations of the American experience,” McClay said.
However, ACTA leaders claimed in a press release that these negative outcomes could be reversed if American institutions act right away and engage in positive civic education for young people.
MORE: U. Tennessee launches civics institute to combat ignorance of country’s founding principles
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