https://amgreatness.com/2024/07/17/the-republic-is-asleep/
The scale of America’s civic ignorance is staggering. In June, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) conducted a national survey of college students that delved into their basic knowledge of American history and government and found that significant numbers of college students graduate without even a rudimentary grasp of America’s history and political system.
For example, 60% of college students could not correctly identify the term lengths of members serving in U.S. Congress, and 63% were unable to identify the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Importantly, these were multiple-choice questions. Hence, students didn’t have to recall John Roberts’ name, only recognize it. The same is true for the Speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, whose name was only known to 35% of students. More than two-thirds didn’t know that impeachment trials occur before the Senate. A majority of students believe that the Constitution was written in 1776 rather than 1787.
On the other hand, 89% know that Jeff Bezos owns Amazon, and 75% are aware that Jay-Z is married to Beyoncé.
While the above numbers are distressing, they are not surprising, as fewer than 20% of American colleges and universities require a course on U.S. government or history to graduate, according to ACTA.
The ACTA report is hardly a one-off. The Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, released late last year, found that 34% of Americans could not name all three branches of government, 10% could name just two, 7% knew only one, and 17% didn’t know any. Additionally, when respondents were asked to name the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment, 77% named freedom of speech, but just 40% knew that freedom of religion is included, 33% named the right to assembly, 28% knew freedom of the press, and a paltry 9% mentioned the right to petition the government.
As Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, points out, a U.S. citizenship test has been in place since 1986. The exam consists of 100 questions about American history, our system of government, and the rights and responsibilities of citizens.