Could You Pass A Citizenship Test?
The Woodrow Wilson Fellowship foundation wondered the same thing, so they did some testing.
Unfortunately the results revealed that only 1 in 3 Americans could past a U.S. citizenship test, which asks the most basic questions about our history and how our system of government works. (Click the link to see the test.)
A passing grade would be answering 60 percent of the questions correctly and only 30 percent of those taking the test were unable to reach a passing grade.
It Gets Worse
The fact that only thirty percent of people could pass the test would be bad enough but some of the answers makes me scratch my head.
Here are a few examples:
- Could you name the original 13 colonies? Seventy-two percent could not.
- Could you name something Benjamin Franklin was famous for? No only could seventy-six percent not name anything, 37 percent thought he invented the light bulb.
- Did General Dwight Eisenhower lead troops in the Civil War? Twelve percent thought he did. Six percent thought he was in Vietnam, not WWII.
- While most respondents knew the causes of the Civil War, two percent thought it was climate change. You can’t make this up.
Age Was A Deciding Factor
Not surprisingly to me, respondents 65 and older scored the best with 74 percent getting a passing grade or higher.
For those under 45 only 19 percent passed the exam. Eighty-one percent got 59 percent or less.
Some Final Thoughts
I remember in eighth grade we had to pass a government test to be eligible for high school.
In our current educational system all students are taught just enough information to pass a government standardized test.
No wonder people are clueless about this great country.
I will admit I may not know all 13 colonies off the top of my head, but you can bet your sweet bippy that I know the cause of the Civil War was not Climate Change.
And I did know that Eisenhower was a WWII General. And Franklin was the first Post Master.
Parents please fill in the educational blanks that our schools are leaving out. If you’re this clueless about your nation, then you have no business anywhere near a ballot box.
I think the last couple of elections have driven that point home pretty dramatically.