Come hell or high water, my man. Hell or high water.
That's what makes this place numero uno. Good night.
Posted on 11/11/2002 3:27:53 PM PST by Dubya
We the people . . .
. . . don't know our U.S. history.
For decades, surveys have shown that Americans' grasp of the past is slipping, especially among the young: More than half of high-school seniors don't know who the United States fought against in World War II. Forty percent of college seniors from the top universities can't place the Civil War in the correct half-century.
Most of the rest of us aren't boasting, either. (Take a Veterans Day history quiz below, if you dare.)
The chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, Bruce Cole, politely dubs this ignorance "American amnesia." But he also believes it's a crisis
Bruce Cole, politely dubs this ignorance "American amnesia." But he also believes it's a crisis that threatens the foundations of our democracy.
"We're in danger of having our future obscured by our ignorance of the past," Cole says during a phone interview. "Democracy has to be self-renewing, and the ideals and ideas have to be passed down from generation to generation. And so this is a very serious matter."
What's behind this historical illiteracy? Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough believes it has to do, in part, with how teachers teach. History teachers generally aren't history majors, McCullough says in the July/August issue of Humanities. And if they're not excited about the subject, their students won't be either.
On the other hand, Cole sees a hunger for history among the public, in the popularity of documentaries such as The Civil War and McCullough's weighty bestseller John Adams.
"I don't think there's an easy explanation for [American amnesia]," says Cole. The chairman visited the University of Dallas last month to promote a new NEH history initiative called "We The People," prompted, he says, by the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
"I think there's even greater urgency in the study of American history after this awful attack on the country," Cole notes, "and that is, in order to defend ourselves, we have to know who we are."
As part of the initiative, the NEH will sponsor an annual Heroes of History lecture on Presidents Day in February (the first speaker remains undetermined) and name the winner of a nationwide high-school essay contest.
"We the People" also emphasizes grant money available for projects relating to U.S. history, though Congress has allocated no new funding for that purpose, according to NEH spokesperson Jim Turner.
What would the Founding Fathers think about a citizenry that isn't sure what the Constitution says? Cole recounts an anecdote about Benjamin Franklin, who was approached by a woman after he signed the historic document in 1787. She asked whether the country now had a republic or a monarchy.
Franklin's reply?
"A republic -- if you can keep it."
Test your American history knowledge
1. In time of war or other declared national emergency, the president may suspend the Constitution's Bill of Rights. True or False?
2. Does the Constitution include the following statement about the proper role of government: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."?
3. When the United States entered the Second World War, one of its allies was:
A) Germany
B) Japan
C) the Soviet Union
D) Italy
4. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) was significant because it:
A) ended the war in Korea
B) gave President Johnson the authority to expand the scope of the Vietnam War
C) was an attempt to take foreign policy power away from the president
D) allowed China to become a member of the United Nations
5. Which document established the division of powers between the states and the federal government?
A) The Marshall Plan
B) The Constitution
C) The Declaration of Independence
D) The Articles of Confederation
6. The term "Reconstruction" refers to:
A) Payments of European countries' debts to the United States after the First World War
B) Repairing the physical damage caused by the Civil War
C) Readmission of the Confederate states and the protection of the rights of black citizens
D) Rebuilding the transcontinental railroad and the canal system
7. During which period was the Civil War?
A) 1750-1800
B) 1800-1850
C) 1850-1900
D) 1900-1950
E) after 1950
8. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during:
A) The Vietnam War
B) World War II
C) World War I
D) The Civil War
9. Who was the American general at Yorktown?
A) William T. Sherman
B) Ulysses S. Grant
C) Douglas MacArthur
D) George Washington
10. What was the source of the following phrase: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people"?
A) The speech "I Have a Dream"
B) The Declaration of Independence
C) The Constitution
D) The Gettysburg Address
Answer key
Answer key
1. False. In a May 2002 nationwide survey of adults, 60 percent answered this question correctly.
2. No. The slogan is actually Karl Marx's. In the same May 2002 survey, 31 percent answered this question correctly.
3. C. A national education assessment test in 2001 found that fewer than half of high-school seniors answered this question correctly.
4. B. Only 29 percent of high-school seniors knew this answer.
5. B. Sixty percent of survey respondents, college seniors from the country's top 55 schools, answered correctly.
6. C. Twenty-nine percent of the same students answered correctly.
7. C. The Civil War spanned 1861-1865. Sixty percent answered correctly.
8. B. Thirty-seven percent answered correctly.
9. D. Thirty-four percent answered correctly.
10. D. Twenty-two percent answered correctly.
Sources: Columbia Law School, www.law.columbia.edu/news/surveys; The 2001 U.S. History National Assessment of Education Progress, www.nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/ushistory/results; American Council of Trustees and Alumni, www.goacta.org
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. In time of war or other declared national emergency, the president may suspend the Constitution's Bill of Rights. True or False? 2. Does the Constitution include the following statement about the proper role of government: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs."? 3. When the United States entered the Second World War, one of its allies was: A) Germany B) Japan C) the Soviet Union D) Italy 4. The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) was significant because it: A) ended the war in Korea B) gave President Johnson the authority to expand the scope of the Vietnam War C) was an attempt to take foreign policy power away from the president D) allowed China to become a member of the United Nations Liz Stevens, (817) 390-7795 lstevens@star-telegram.com 5. Which document established the division of powers between the states and the federal government? A) The Marshall Plan B) The Constitution C) The Declaration of Independence D) The Articles of Confederation 6. The term "Reconstruction" refers to: A) Payments of European countries' debts to the United States after the First World War B) Repairing the physical damage caused by the Civil War C) Readmission of the Confederate states and the protection of the rights of black citizens D) Rebuilding the transcontinental railroad and the canal system 7. During which period was the Civil War? A) 1750-1800 B) 1800-1850 C) 1850-1900 D) 1900-1950 E) after 1950 8. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during: A) The Vietnam War B) World War II C) World War I D) The Civil War 9. Who was the American general at Yorktown? A) William T. Sherman B) Ulysses S. Grant C) Douglas MacArthur D) George Washington 10. What was the source of the following phrase: "Government of the people, by the people, for the people"? A) The speech "I Have a Dream" B) The Declaration of Independence C) The Constitution D) The Gettysburg Address 1. False. In a May 2002 nationwide survey of adults, 60 percent answered this question correctly. 2. No. The slogan is actually Karl Marx's. In the same May 2002 survey, 31 percent answered this question correctly. 3. C. A national education assessment test in 2001 found that fewer than half of high-school seniors answered this question correctly. 4. B. Only 29 percent of high-school seniors knew this answer. 5. B. Sixty percent of survey respondents, college seniors from the country's top 55 schools, answered correctly. 6. C. Twenty-nine percent of the same students answered correctly. 7. C. The Civil War spanned 1861-1865. Sixty percent answered correctly. 8. B. Thirty-seven percent answered correctly. 9. D. Thirty-four percent answered correctly. 10. D. Twenty-two percent answered correctly.
I like to read too.
The Soviet Union was on the sidelines in that war, until Hitler broke the Pact and attacked the USSR. Helloooo! Somebody wasn't doing their homework.
Congressman Billybob
Billybob
These are not exactly hard questions.
Only 7. During which period was the Civil War? I had to think about.
But when I say that correct answer: 1600-1650 wasn't there, I realized they wanted "The War between the States"
Well, Oliver will be pleased you thought of him!
Start a thread by asking a question. School will be in and you'll be amazed at what some Freepers would be willing to teach. Myself included.
After you sort through all the møøse and cheese replies, of course.
Come hell or high water, my man. Hell or high water.
That's what makes this place numero uno. Good night.
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