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The Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), which earlier 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 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%; that means they got a pitiful F. Those who had received a bachelor's degree averaged 57% on the test, compared to 44% for those with only a high school diploma. Worse still, 164 adults who had held elected office also scored an average of 44%. Americans who lack knowledge of our country's history, Constitution, and institutions really have no frame of reference to judge current politics and policies. 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? Is America still e pluribus unum (from many, one) 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. Our fabulous success is based 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 calendars that wrongly label this February holiday as "Presidents' 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." |
