No matter how many surveys, tests, polls, and studies reveal the faltering ignorance and incognizance of U.S. students and adults, we should continue to broadcast their findings each time they appear. It’s a professional obligation, and when we recognize the mounting forces of distraction and diversion and anti-knowledge flooding individual minds in their (nearly) every waking moment, educators must form a counter-force and act vigilantly.
Furthermore, each survey that comes out contains interesting elements that sharpen or contextualize the ignorance factor in American life. A recent example is “The American Revolution. Who Cares?” (full report here) issued by the American Revolution Center. The survey gave a 27-question test focused on the American Revolution to a national sample of adults.
It displays results to which we’ve become accustomed — for instance, showing that “half did not have even a basic understanding of historical chronology, believing that either the Civil War, Emancipation Proclamation, or War of 1812 occurred before the American Revolution.” More than half of respondents believed that the statement “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs,” came from George Washington, Tom Paine, or Barack Obama, not Karl Marx.
Add the finding that when respondents were asked to grade themselves on their knowledge of the Revolution, nearly half of them assigned an “A” or “B.” In truth, more than four out of five received a failing grade.
The survey also asked respondents about the degrees of importance of certain rights. A few answers are troubling. For instance, only 59 percent of people believed that “the right not to have your property searched or seized” was “essential.” Worse, only 65 percent believed “the right to assemble, march, protest, or petition the government” was “essential.” That is a bad, bad sign that a fair portion of Americans don’t respect the crucial protections of the Bill of Rights — and that they trust governments too much.
Finally, when it came to determining how important it was for adults and for students to know the history and principles of the Revolution, Republicans scored significantly higher than Democrats. (Categories were “Extremely important,” “Very important,” “Somewhat important,” and “Not important.”) On school curricula, for instance, 35 percent of Dems gave it “Extremely,” while 49 percent of Repubs did.
Why care? Because the Revolution is special. Bruce Cole, head of the Center, explains:
“We are a nation united not by blood, land, or religion, but rather by the great Founding principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence and in the Constitution of the United States.”
23 Responses to Revolutionary Ignorance
redweather - April 7, 2010 at 9:20 am
Bruce Cole is theoretically correct, I guess. But what really unites us is the same thing that unites us with every other human being on the planet — survival — which is, can, and will be pursued irrespective of formational documents like the Declaration of Independence.I’ve also noticed that my foreign students typically have a much better understanding of American history and the Constitution because they must learn the basics to pass the citizenship test.
nordicexpat - April 7, 2010 at 4:34 pm
But why politicize the findings by the throwing in the rather irrelevant comments about Democrats and Republicans at the end? How on earth did Republicans “score” higher on an opinion question? And why not mention that those with incomes over 100,000 “scored” highest of all? Moreover, your conclusion that people don’t respect the Bill of Rights because they trust the government too much is really overblown. Asked whether you think a given right in the abstract is “essential” or “important but not essential,” how would you answer without knowing exactly what those terms mean? (And at least be intellectually honest enough to say that, with the exception of the right to bear arms, more than 95% said that a given right was “essential” or “important, but not essential”) For instance, does saying that the right not to have your property searched or seized is “essential” mean that you think that the police cannot search anyone at any time on any grounds? And if you aren’t sure what “essential” means in this context, aren’t you likely to say, “well, it is important, but I do want to allow for exceptions, so maybe I better not say it is essential.”Historical ignorance is not to be celebrated, so on that point I think we can all agree. But isn’t a bit contradictory to appeal to the Revolution as that which unites Americans while simultaneously enlisting it in the service of a political polemic?
markbauerlein - April 7, 2010 at 8:08 pm
Repubs “scored” higher, as I said, on the “importance” factor, rating knowledge of the American Revolution more highly than Dems did.As for the difference between “essential” and “important,” not to respect it is to misunderstand the meaning and purpose of the Bill of Rights. Remember that they were crafted specifically in order to protect people from the government mapped out in the main document. To consider illegal search and seizure etc. important but not essential is precisely to diminish individual rights in the face of state power.
nordicexpat - April 8, 2010 at 1:24 am
I’m still not sure why you felt the need to say that a higher percentage of Repubs than Dems rated knowledge of the American Revolution as “extremely important,” when there are a host of different factors the survey also points out that influences that rating (income, gender, region). In fact, income is one of the more surprising factors (that college educated and people from the Northeast both know more about the Revolutionary War and consider it more important isn’t as surprising). If you wanted to say that politicians need to stop invoking the Revolution to advance their political agenda because it is having the effect of dividing Americans on its importance, OK, but is that what you had in mind?As to the second point, as far as I can tell, the question respondents were asked was not about ILLEGAL search and seizure. It was, as in your quote, “the right not to have your property searched or seized.” Saying that the question refers to illegal search and seizure is providing the context missing in the question, and explains why you would say it is an essential right (and I would agree with you). The problem is that context wasn’t provided, so you have no way of knowing how people would respond if they were asked about illegal search and seizure, and certainly can’t spectulate as to why they said it was “important” rather than “essential.” There is certainly disagreement about what protecting people from the government refers to. For some, it refers to legislation like Obama-care, for others, it is about police actions like capital punishment, warrantless wiretapping, etc. Nor is this just a contemporary interpretation: slave-owners at the time (both in England and in the US) used that argument that freeing slaves would violate their right “not to have their property seized” by the government.
chuckkle - April 8, 2010 at 5:30 am
If you’ve flown on an airplane, you have seen that TSA (the government) searches your luggage, your person, your clothing. That sure doesn’t seem, in a common sense world, like claiming a “right” to not have your property searched doesn’t exist. Of course, you can choose to not fly….Chuck Kleinhans
profe1 - April 8, 2010 at 5:53 am
The routine searches by TSA may be why respondents answered as they did; after all, such searches are “for our own protection.”
lawman11 - April 8, 2010 at 6:06 am
What the heck is a ‘faltering ignorance’?
kffdn - April 8, 2010 at 9:27 am
Obama, Marx, is there a big difference?Thank you, Mr. Bauerlein, for doing your part to draw attention to this problem. I have yet to read the full report, but the bit about “essential” rights is saddening. One day, we’ll wake up, Democrat and Republican alike, and curse ourselves for pissing away our freedoms.
marktropolis - April 8, 2010 at 10:10 am
I too am curious Bauerlein as to your intent in highlighting some of the GOP/Dem splits. Granted, it was one of th splits that the study looked at, but they also looked at income, gender, age, and region.Furthermore, the one piece you choose to highlight – that more Repubs ranked higher how “important it was for adults and for students to know the history and principles of the Revolution,” may need to be put in some context: those same Republicans only got 47% of the content questions correct. Which may explain why the Texas Board of Ed decided to take Jefferson out of the running in their history curriculum: it’s really important for them that you understand their version of history.I guess this kind of takes me back to a recurring theme here with me and Bauerlein: I’m often struggling to understand what your point is. First you want us to see how little Americans understand about their own history. Which is old news. Then you want to make sure you point out that Republicans think this is more important than Democrats? So… we should teach more Revolutionary War history? Could I know more about it? Certainly. How much do I need to know? And where should I be taught this knowledge? And who gets to decide how much is appropriate? Is the American Revolution Center the final arbiter of how much I should know (and how long I should retain that knowledge)?And while I haven’t finished my digging yet, I do have some questions about the political biases of this center (and whoever funded this study). Might there be a political ax to grind with this report? I don’t have an answer, but I think it’s a fair question. Especially with the need to highlight political affiliations (both by you and in the study). Would I be surprised if I found out that the board and their funders are all tied to some of the more prominent conservative foundations? Should I expect to see a left-leaning individual on their board?
johntoradze - April 8, 2010 at 11:02 am
Nice article. What’s with this shooting the messenger? So he highlighted one thing over another – we’re adults, we can read the report itself. And what’s your point “marktropolis”? I agree that any such information should be highlighted and Mark is doing his public service here. 20+ years ago, I did a little questionaire of my own asking people what was in the US constitution. That time, over 70% thought that Marx’s ideas were in it, and they liked them better. Oddly, it was the people who professed republicans who scored higher on liking Marx than democrats that time. (N=27)
marktropolis - April 8, 2010 at 11:39 am
re #10, my point is that sometimes we need to consider the source when it comes to these kinds of reports. And Bauerlein – due in no small part to his own political leanings – tends to highlight reports that support those leanings. Which isn’t a surprise (at least not to me). Furthermore, I think it’s interesting (coincidental?) that just a couple of weeks ago, this blog was knee-deep in debating what the TX board of ed was doing to history curriculum. Whether I agree with the analysis reported on above, there does seem to be a correlation between ignorance of history, and what both the TX board is doing, as well as much of what we’re hearing from the Tea Party these days.
yackademic - April 8, 2010 at 2:04 pm
@ kffdn:Yes, there are very significant, “big” differences between them. Before you jump to conclude that I’m an Obama supporter (or a Marxist), please think twice. Part of “waking up” requires understanding these differences and not falling prey to a mass-media-supported collapsing of these two historical figures. Reductive equivalences tacitly promote the historical ignorance that is being condemned here. Even a passing familiarity with key Marxists texts and Obama’s policies reveals _enormous_ differences. Before speaking on this topic next time, please consider brushing up on the evidence.
kffdn - April 8, 2010 at 5:24 pm
yackademic, I’m certain you must be extremely qualified to debate Marxism, Obamism, and the like. Why else would you have taken the time to point out that my joke (for that’s what it was, nothing more) doesn’t hold up under academic scrutiny? Sit back. Relax. Maybe give a comforting rub to elbow patches on your blazer. You have once again assured the world that you’re an intellectual.Sheesh! I remember why I stopped bothering to post on these things.
osbu0001 - April 8, 2010 at 5:47 pm
Mark is drawing our attention to a meaningful crisis in historical literacy, to which could be added many other literacy gaps (my particular concern is religious illiteracy in the USA). Rather than snide remarks, we should take this seriously. Can we meaningfully claim to produce well-educated citizens with such astounding ignorance? How can the USA claim world leadership when its citizens are so clueless about the most basic features of our founding era? As an educator, I am humbled and concerned.
julia2284 - April 8, 2010 at 8:53 pm
“We are a nation united not by blood, land, or religion … “First, your entire premise is based on the myth of American exceptionalism. We are no *less* a country “united” by violence (blood) and theft (of land) than any other country in the world. We need to stop pretending like only the happy things are worth remembering. Second, I would argue that the history crisis we are having in this country is not one of students “not remembering the chronological order of events in the American Revolution,” but of people being basically ignorant of past social realities and of the history of ideas. White Europeans did not magically invent the ideas in the Constitution or those upon which our democracy was based, as much as political conservatives imagine we did. We ignore the influence of Native American ideas on our democracy. We ignore the conflicts and convergences of ideas from many varying sources.James Loewen’s _Lies My Teacher Told Me_ might be more polemic than airtight academic research, but he’s right on in saying that people don’t care about history because it’s whitewashed, is presented as “fact” when all history is necessarily interpretation, and is full of jinogistic cheerleading and American exceptionalism that makes real critique and weighing of ideas impossible.
willynilly - April 8, 2010 at 10:20 pm
I noticed that several of the posters above “wondered” why Bauerlein found it necessary to insert a comparison between Reps and Dems on the importance of knowledge of the Revolution. It was quite clear, wasn’t it, that the comment just didn’t fit and that it was actually “forced” into the text. “If” you continue to read Bauerlein’s work you will see that everything he writes contains a political agenda. He believes he is so clever that he can slip his partisan points into every article without anyone suspecting. He doesn’t realize how transparent he really is. He fosters a far right political agenda whenever and wherever he gets the opportunity. He believes that he and his right-wing buddies are the intelligentsia of the world. They are smarter, wealthier, more cunning, and more sophisticated then Dems could ever even dream to be. Ergo the Reps should win every election, for every office in every voting district in the nation. The only purpose for a moderate Republican or a Democrat to read Bauerlein is to get a good hearty laugh.
minnesotan - April 9, 2010 at 5:45 am
Comment #16: Was that an attempt at irony, or were you actually calling the kettle black?
markbauerlein - April 9, 2010 at 7:45 am
Good correction of me, nordicexpat, on the “illegal” vs. legal search and seizure.One reason I highlighted the Dem vs. Repub take on the Revolution is simply the difference that shows up. Is it any surprise that conservative-oriented people should value the distant past more highly than progressive-oriented folks? Here we have a clear piece of data for it.As for julia’s remarks, like Loewen’s book itself, they sound stuck in curriculum from 50+ years ago. Look at any state’s standards in U.S. history and social studies and you’ll see how multiculturalist and non-”whitewashed” they attempt to be.
willynilly - April 9, 2010 at 10:45 am
To minnesotan – Just keep reading Bauerlein – if you can stomach it – and you will have your answer.
mbelvadi - April 9, 2010 at 11:57 am
I read the full report and it really mixes together some questions about basic Constitutional principles with more historically ephemeral questions about the actual war itself that are probably only important to military historians. Since military history details tend to be more of interest to males than females, and Republicans than Democrats, I’m not surprised that the totals lean those ways. Mark B., yes I do find it surprising that conservative-oriented people would “value” the distant past more than progressives. Perhaps you should ask why it is that if they value it so much, still more than 50% of them are getting so many basic questions wrong? That might lead to the question “why do they value it” since historical accuracy of facts is apparently not the motivation behind their valuation. When you look at the TX school board activities recently, another motivation for that supposed “value” begins to emerge. The Revolutionary War in particular is full of visual and verbal imagery that can easily be warped into demagogic slogans today if your audience doesn’t actually know the historic details, much as many passages in the Bible get mis-used by modern-day evangelicals who refuse to place those phrases in their historical context.But what fascinates me the most is how many Americans think the most famous Marx quote is from George Washington, which almost certainly must be interpreted (given the near-universal hero status GW has in US culture) to mean that they agree with it. That must send a shudder through the hearts of conservatives!
luther_blissett - April 9, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Before you comment, take the “survey” yourself and see what you think of it. I found it big on detailed questions, short on cause and effect, historical process, etc. I got an 85%, but that was largely because I had to research the American Revolution about seven years ago while writing about Melville’s *Israel Potter* and Pynchon’s *Mason & Dixon*. Prior to that, I hadn’t studied American history since high school — a good seventeen years ago.I don’t think this survey tells us much of anything besides the fact that most Americans don’t study the American Revolution after high school or college.It also tells us only that Republicans claim to value such history while Democrats claim to value it a little less. As mbalvedi writes above, their actual results on the survey tell us that neither side really values the history enough to study it in their spare time.The Marx mistake is less meaningful than anyone thinks. The survey declares itself to be a quiz on American history of the Revolutionary Era. I don’t think anyone actually thought it was Washington; they guessed that because of name recognition. They assumed the quotation was from the Revolutionary Era in America — because why would there be a question about Karl Marx on this survey in the first place? All we can discern from that result is that few Americans know anything about Marxism — which seems to deflate all those accusations about the left-wing media and brainwashing in the Academy!
markbauerlein - April 10, 2010 at 1:29 pm
I think it is unsurprising that conservatives rate the importance of studying the Revolution, mbelvadi, for the simple reason that conservatives have different attitudes toward tradition than progressives do–at least cultural conservatives. Cultural conservatives believe that deep and abiding memory of the past is crucial to a healthy society. The past should guide our approach to the present. Progressives believe that, as Dewey famously put it, “the claims of the present should be controlling.”
diehl - April 11, 2010 at 8:10 pm
The “Science of Liberty” is a phenomenal book about our founding fsthers.