75 Percent of Oklahoma High School Students Can't Name the First President of the U.S.

news9.com ^ | 9/17/09 | staff

[Nachum]

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Only one in four Oklahoma public high school students can name the first President of the United States, according to a survey released today.

The survey was commissioned by the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs in observance of Constitution Day on Thursday.

Brandon Dutcher is with the conservative think tank and said the group wanted to find out how much civic knowledge Oklahoma high school students know.

[OB1kNOb]

I was gonna say Michael Jackson.

[Carley]

Native American students?

[Lucky Dog]

TThe question was, "Who was the first President of the United States of America?" If you answered with anyone else than George Washington, you failed the question.

If you said George Washington, you are wrong. He was actually the eighth President of the United States.

The first President of the United States was John Hanson. The next six were Elias Boudinot (1783), Thomas Mifflin (1784), Richard Henry Lee (1785), Nathan Gorman (1786), Arthur St. Clair (1787), and Cyrus Griffin (1788). Each served a one-year term under the limitations of the Articles of Confederation.

By the way, George Washington was one of the members of the Congress that unanimously elected Mr. Hanson.

[Carley]

Good for you for noticing what they aren’t teaching in school.

The rest is up to you now.

[Joan Kerrey]

This is great news. 25% now know who the first President was, a huge increase from last year when only 20% knew.

It shows that all it takes is more resources and schools will turn things around.

Think of the success had we inject more funding into those schools. /s

[montag813]

Even in Jenks?

[Grampa Dave]

No big deal. He was another evil white racist. (sarcasm off a little bit)

[trumandogz]

The good news is that everyone who took the test was awarded a doctorate by the University of Oklahoma.

[Grampa Dave]

Mix liberal teachers and principals with liberal text books, and you get these results.

[A. Patriot]

You are correct. I just wanted to bring to light a little taught part of American history.

[SiVisPacemParaBellum]

I can has college app now?

[bustinchops]

This is news? Most CA public high school graduates don’t know what a president is and can’t find the U.S. on a world map. They makes the OK kids look like rocket surgeons.

[JD91]

I think the question was asked with the implication of the time when the United States became a constitutional republic - in that case Washington was the first (constitution ratified in 1788 - in service in 1789).

[gdani]

So, what method was used to ask these students?

I ask because it used to be - and I assume still is - a popular game among classmates to answer such surveys in entirely ridiculous ways.

One would have thought a large number of my freshman class was addicted to heroin with the way many answered the drug questionnaires.

Of course, I'm sure there's still far too many students (and adults) who can't answer basic civics questions. But I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock in counting on high-schoolers to answer these things honestly.

[normanpubbie]

For those baffled by the reference to “Jenks:” Jenks HS is considered by many Oklahomans as one of the top public high schools in the state. I subbed there a few years back and tend to agree.

[Ted Grant]

I know who Barry Switzer was, but does anyone know who Bernie Schwartz is?

[jarofants]

I wonder if Obama knows. I wonder if he could put the states were they belong, all 57 of them.

[cranked]

LMAO.....teaching to test, ftw. =.=

[Lucky Dog]

From the Declaration of Independence:

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor. [emphasis added]

The Articles of Confederation

To all to whom these Presents shall come, we the undersigned Delegates of the States affixed to our Names send greeting.

The Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union between the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts-bay Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

The Stile of this Confederacy shall be “The United States of America”. [emphasis added]

The Declaration of Independence and Articles of Confederation (the first constitution of this nation) established the United States. The Continental Congress elected a President, but this individual was not the President of the United States. After the War for Independence, the Articles of Confederation became operative and, as you can see from the quoted section above, the country, thus established, was named “The United States of America.” Therefore, by definition, the first President of this country was the first President of the United States elected under the Articles of Confederation not the current Constitution.

Nonetheless, I doubt that the students whose ignorance is being criticized in the article at the beginning of this thread named John Hanson as the first President in lieu of George Washington.

[rfp1234]

Two percent think MICHAEL Jackson wrote the Declaration.