[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 87 (Monday, July 10, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H5661-H5670]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING IMPORTANCE AND VALUE OF EDUCATION IN UNITED
STATES HISTORY
Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and concur in
the Senate concurrent resolution (S. Con. Res. 129) expressing the
sense of Congress regarding the importance and value of education in
United States history.
The Clerk read as follows:
S. Con. Res. 129
Whereas basic knowledge of United States history is
essential to full and informed participation in civic life
and to the larger vibrancy of the American experiment in
self-government;
Whereas basic knowledge of the past serves as a civic glue,
binding together a diverse people into a single Nation with a
common purpose;
Whereas citizens who lack knowledge of United States
history will also lack an understanding and appreciation of
the democratic principles that define and sustain the Nation
as a free people, such as liberty, justice, tolerance,
government by the consent of the governed, and equality under
the law;
Whereas a recent Roper survey done for the American Council
of Trustees and Alumni reveals that the next generation of
American leaders and citizens is in danger of losing
America's civic memory;
Whereas the Roper survey found that 81 percent of seniors
at elite colleges and universities could not answer basic
high school level questions concerning United States history,
that scarcely more than half knew general information about
American democracy and the Constitution, and that only 22
percent could identify the source of the most famous line of
the Gettysburg Address;
Whereas many of the Nation's colleges and universities no
longer require United States history as a prerequisite to
graduation, including 100 percent of the top institutions of
higher education;
Whereas 78 percent of the Nation's top colleges and
universities no longer require the study of any form of
history;
Whereas America's colleges and universities are leading
bellwethers of national priorities and values, setting
standards for the whole of the United States' education
system and sending signals to students, teachers, parents,
and public schools about what every educated citizen in a
democracy must know;
Whereas many of America's most distinguished historians and
intellectuals have expressed alarm about the growing
historical illiteracy of college and university graduates and
the consequences for the Nation; and
Whereas the distinguished historians and intellectuals fear
that without a common civic memory and a common understanding
of the remarkable individuals, events, and ideals that have
shaped the Nation, people in the United States risk losing
much of what it means to be an American, as well as the
ability to fulfill the fundamental responsibilities of
citizens in a democracy: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the historical illiteracy of America's college and
university graduates is a serious problem that should be
addressed by the Nation's higher education community;
(2) boards of trustees and administrators at institutions
of higher education in the United States should review their
curricula and add requirements in United States history;
(3) State officials responsible for higher education should
review public college and university curricula in their
States and promote requirements in United States history;
(4) parents should encourage their children to select
institutions of higher education with substantial history
requirements and students should take courses in United
States history whether required or not; and
(5) history teachers and educators at all levels should
redouble their efforts to bolster the knowledge of United
States history among students of all ages and to restore the
vitality of America's civic memory.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and the gentleman from California (Mr. George
Miller) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri).
General Leave
Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their
remarks on S. Con. Res. 129.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Wisconsin?
There was no objection.
Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of Senate Concurrent
Resolution 129, which is identical to House Concurrent Resolution 366,
a resolution introduced in the House before the Independence Day
recess.
I would like first to thank the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Armey), the
House majority leader, and the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr.
Goodling), chairman of the House Committee on Education and Workforce,
whose cooperation has expedited the consideration of this resolution. I
would also like to thank Senators Lieberman and Gorton for their
support of this resolution and commend the Senate for passing it on the
Friday before the 4th of July holiday.
I am pleased to be here today with my colleague from California as
cosponsor to offer this resolution to draw attention to the troubling
historical illiteracy of our Nation's next generation of leaders.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 129 expresses the sense of Congress
regarding the importance and value of education in American history.
[[Page H5662]]
The need for this resolution is demonstrated by a Roper Center survey
commissioned by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni. The Roper
Center surveyed college seniors from the Nation's best colleges and
universities as identified by the U.S. News & World Report's annual
college rankings.
Specifically, the top 55 liberal arts colleges and research
universities were sampled during the month of December 1999. The
results of this survey revealed that seniors from America's elite
colleges and universities received a grade of D or F on history
questions drawn from a basic high school exam. Seniors could not
identify Valley Forge, words from the Gettysburg Address, or even the
basic principles of the United States Constitution.
Despite this lack of knowledge, according to reports by the American
Council of Trustees and Alumni, many of today's colleges and
universities no longer demand that their students study U.S. history.
Students can now graduate from all of the top colleges and universities
without taking a single course in U.S. history. At 78 percent of the
institutions, students are not required to take any history at all.
Madam Speaker, I believe we should be alarmed by the findings of this
study. When we lose our civic memory, when we lose our understanding of
the remarkable individuals, events, and values that have shaped our
experiment in self-government, we are losing much of what it means to
be an American. We are losing sight of the responsibilities we share as
citizens in a free democracy.
Having just celebrated the 4th of July, our Nation's day of
independence and freedom, a day that evokes strong emotions and
feelings of pride in our country, I believe it is particularly
appropriate to emphasize our need to know and to understand U.S.
history.
Madam Speaker, I include the following material for the Record:
[From the New York Times, June 28, 2000]
Basic History Test Stumps Many Collegians
Washington, June 27--Nearly 80 percent of seniors at 55 top
colleges and universities, including Harvard and Princeton,
received a D or an F on a 34-question high-school level test
on American history.
More than a third of the students did not know that the
Constitution established the division of power in American
government, said the Center for Survey Research and Analysis
at the University of Connecticut, which administered the test
as part of a study to measure the teaching of American
history.
Students were much more knowledgeable about popular
culture--99 percent of the seniors tested identified ``Beavis
and Butthead'' as ``television cartoon characters.''
But confronted with four options in a multiple-choice test,
only 35 percent could name who was president when the Korean
War began. And only 23 percent identified James Madison as
the principal framer of the Constitution.
Asked the era in which the Civil War was fought, 40 percent
did not know the correct period, 1850-1900.
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, said
that he and other members of Congress would introduce
resolutions calling on college and state officials to
strengthen American history requirements at all levels of the
educational system.
The study, sponsored by the American Council of Trustees
and Alumni, found that none of the 55 institutions required
American history for graduation. And only 78 percent of them
required students to take any history classes, said Jerry
Martin, one of the report's authors.
The history test was given by telephone to 556 college
seniors chosen at random. The questions were drawn from a
basic high school curriculum, and many had been used in the
National Assessment of Education Program tests given to high
school students.
____
[From the New York Times, July 2, 2000]
History 101: Snoop Doggy Roosevelt
(By Scott Veale)
Listen up, class. We hate to spoil your holiday weekend,
but an alarming new survey of American history knowledge--
released just days before Independence Day, no less--suggests
that the nation is in desperate need of summer school. The
report, sponsored by the American Council of Trustees and
Alumni, a Washington-based nonprofit group that promotes
liberal-arts study, posed 34 high-school level questions
randomly to 556 seniors at 55 leading colleges and
universities, including Harvard, Princeton and Brown.
Only one student answered all the questions correctly, and
the average score was a sobering 53 percent--even with a
couple of gimmes about cartoon characters and rap stars
tossed in. But maybe it's not too surprising: according to
the survey, none of the schools examined require American
history courses for graduation.
So put down those tube steaks and sharpen your pencils.
It's time to match wits with tomorrow's leaders.
1. When was the Civil War?
a. 1750-1800
b. 1800-1850
c. 1850-1900
d. 1900-1950
e. after 1950
2. Who said ``Give me liberty or give me death?''
a. John Hancock
b. James Madison
c. Patrick Henry
d. Samuel Adams
3. What is the Magna Carta?
a. The foundation of the British parliamentary system
b. The Great Seal of the monarchs of England
c. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man
d. The charter signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower
4. The term Reconstruction refers to:
a. Payment of European countries' debts to the United
States after the First World War
b. Repairing of 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 of the transcontinental railroad and the
canal system
5. Are Beavis and Butthead . . .
a. A radio show
b. Television cartoon characters
c. A musical group
d. Fictional soldiers
6. The Scopes trial was about:
a. Freedom of the press
b. Teaching evolution in the schools
c. Prayer in the schools
d. Education in private schools
7. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln stated
that:
a. Slaves were free in areas of the Confederate states not
held by the Union
b. The slave trade was illegal
c. Slaves who fled to Canada would be protected
d. Slavery was abolished in the Union
8. The purpose of the authors of the Federalist Papers was
to:
a. Establish a strong, free press in the colonies
b. Confirm George Washington's election as the first
president
c. Win foreign approval for the Revolutionary War
d. Gain ratification of the U.S. Constitution
9. Sputnik was the name given to the first:
a. Telecommunications system
b. Animal to travel into space
c. Hydrogen bomb
d. Man-made satellite
10. The Missouri Compromise was the act that:
a. Funded the Lewis and Clark expedition on the upper
Missouri River
b. Granted statehood to Missouri but denied the admission
of any other states
c. Settled the boundary dispute between Missouri and Kansas
d. Admitted Maine into the Union as a free state and
Missouri as a slave state
11. 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
12. When was Thomas Jefferson president?
a. 1780-1800
b. 1800-1820
c. 1820-1840
d. 1840-1860
e. 1860-1880
13. What was the lowest point in American fortunes in the
Revolutionary War?
a. Saratoga
b. Bunker Hill
c. Valley Forge
d. Fort Ticonderoga
14. In his farewell address, President George Washington
warned against the danger of:
a. Expanding into territories beyond the Appalachian
Mountains
b. Having war with Spain over Mexico
c. Entering into permanent alliances with foreign
governments
d. Building a standing army and strong navy
15. The Monroe Doctrine declared that:
a. The American blockade of Cuba was in accord with
international law
b. Europe should not acquire new territories in Western
Hemisphere
c. Trade with China should be open to all Western nations
d. The annexation of the Philippines was legitimate
16. Who was the European who traveled in the United States
and wrote down perceptive comments about what he saw in
``Democracy in America''?
a. Lafayette
b. Tocqueville
c. Crevocoeur
d. Napoleon
17. Identify Snoop Doggy Dog.
a. A rap singer
b. Cartoon by Charles Schultz
c. A mystery series
d. A jazz pianist
18. Abraham Lincoln was president between:
a. 1780-1800
b. 1800-1820
[[Page H5663]]
c. 1820-1840
d. 1840-1860
e. 1860-1880
19. Who was the American general at Yorktown?
a. William T. Sherman
b. Ulysses S. Grant
c. Douglas McArthur
d. George Washington
20. John Marshall was the author of:
a. Roe v. Wade
b. Dred Scott v. Kansas
c. Marbury v. Madison
d. Brown v. Board of Education
21. Who was the ``Father of the Constitution?''
a. George Washington
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. James Madison
22. Who said, ``I regret that I have only one life to give
for my country?''
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Benedict Arnold
c. John Brown
d. Nathan Hale
23. 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. Declaration of Independence
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Gettysburg Address
24. Who was the second president of the U.S.?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. John Adams
d. Benjamin Franklin
25. Who was president when the U.S. purchased the Panama
Canal?
a. Theodore Roosevelt
b. Jimmy Carter
c. Franklin D. Roosevelt
d. Woodrow Wilson
26. Who was the leading advocate for the U.S. entry into
the League of Nations?
a. George C. Marshall
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Henry Cabot Lodge
d. Eleanor Roosevelt
27. Who said, ``Speak softly but carry a big stick?'''
a. William T. Sherman
b. Sitting Bull
c. John D. Rockefeller
d. Theodore Roosevelt
28. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during:
a. The Vietnam War
b. World War II
c. World War I
d. The Civil War
29. Which of the following was a prominent leader of the
Abolitionist Movement?
a. Malcolm X
b. Martin Luther King Jr.
c. W.E.B. Du Bois
d. Frederick Douglass
30. Who was the president of the United States at the
beginning of the Korean War?
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. Dwight Eisenhower
d. Harry Truman
31. When the United States entered World War II, which two
major nations were allied with Germany?
a. Italy and Japan
b. Italy and Poland
c. Italy and Russia
d. Russia and Japan
32. Social legislation passed under President Lyndon B.
Johnson's Great Society program included:
a. The Sherman Antitrust Act
b. The Voting Rights Act
c. The Tennessee Valley Authority
d. The Civilian Conservation Corps
33. Who was ``First in war, first in peace, first in the
hearts of his countrymen?''
a. George Washington
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Dwight Eisenhower
d. Abraham Lincoln
34. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union when the United
States entered World War II?
a. Peter Ustinov
b. Nikita Khrushchev
c. Marshal Tito
d. Joseph Stalin
____
[From the Washington Post, July 2, 2000]
Neglecting History . . .
(By David S. Broder)
A question for you before you set off your fireworks: Who
was the American general at Yorktown? You have four guesses:
William Tecumseh Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant Douglas MacArthur
or George Washington.
When that question was asked late last year of 556 randomly
chosen seniors at 55 top-rated colleges and universities, one
out of three got it right. Stunningly, more of those about to
graduate from great liberal arts colleges such as Amherst and
Williams and Grinnell and world-class universities such as
Harvard and Duke and the University of Michigan named Grant,
the victorious general in the Civil War, than Washington, the
commander of the Continental Army, as the man who defeated
the British in the final battle of the Revolutionary War.
That was not the worst. Only 22 percent could identify the
Gettysburg Address as the source of the phrase ``government
of the people, by the people, for the people.'' Most thought
it came from the Declaration of Independence or the
Constitution.
The results of this survey, using 34 questions normally
asked of high school students, not elite college and
university seniors, justify the term ``historical
illiteracy.'' That is what four members of Congress called
the situation in a joint resolution they introduced last week
warning that ``the next generation of American leaders and
citizens is in danger of losing America's civic memory.''
Congress can do nothing but decry the situation. As Sen.
Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, one of the sponsors, said, ``We
are not here to establish a national curriculum.'' But the
challenge to parents and to educators is not to be ignored.
The college student poll was taken for a private group, the
American Council of Trustees and Alumni. Its report makes two
points: If these high school questions were used as a college
test, 65 percent of the college students would flunk. Equally
troubling, it said, none of the 55 elite colleges and
universities (as rated by U.S. News & World Report) requires
a course in American history before graduation.
This, I would add, despite the fact that it has been known
for a long time that high school students aren't learning
much about our history from their teachers. The most recent
report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP) was in 1994, and it too was devastating. That massive
survey found that even though most students reported having
taken American history in the eighth and 11th grades, little
of it stuck. ``Few students (11 percent) reached the
proficient achievement level--defined as solid grade-level
performance--and only 1 or 2 percent reached the advanced
achievement level,'' the report said. Fully 57 percent of the
high school seniors failed to demonstrate a basic level of
understanding of American history and institutions--the
lowest category in the test.
The Council of Trustees and Alumni, whose chairman is Lynne
V. Cheney, is engaged in an ongoing debate with academics
over a range of curriculum issues. But on this one, I found
the heads of the major historical groups largely in
agreement.
Dr. Arnita Jones, executive director of the American
Historical Association told me, ``Of course, students should
be taking American history, and I would extend that to world
history as well.'' But she said that on too many campuses,
``resources are being pulled away from history and given to
areas that seem to be more practical.''
The reaction of Kenneth T. Jackson, the president of the
Organization of American Historians and a professor at
Columbia University, one of the elite schools whose students
were surveyed, was more skeptical. He said, ``The best
colleges and universities have strong history departments and
high enrollments. The smarter you are and the better college
you attend, the more likely you are to take history.''
But he said that in his first message to his fellow
academics as association president, ``I said we don't take
our teaching seriously enough. We may be too free to teach
our own speciality, rather than what students need to know.
If you have a big department, it usually works out, but
sometimes the only course that's open may be a history of
19th-century railroads in Tennessee.''
As Lieberman said, ``With the Fourth fast approaching, I
can think of no better way to celebrate the anniversary of
America's independence than for us to remember what moved a
determined band of patriots to lay down all for liberty, and
then to promise never to forget.'' Of course, you can't
forget what you never learned.
____
[From World News Now, July 3, 2000]
A History Survey Taken at 55 Top Colleges in U.S.
Anderson Cooper. A new survey shows that most college
seniors don't know jack about American history. Jim Sciutto
here was an American history major but we'll talk to him
about that later. Seniors at 55 top colleges and universities
including Harvard and Princeton, almost 80 percent of them
got a D or an F on a high school level history test.
Apparently only 23 percent knew that James Madison was a
principle framer of the Constitution. But on the upside, 99
percent knew who Beavis and Butthead were. Don't worry, sleep
safely.
George Will. Yes, Beavis--`Identify Beavis and Butthead.'
That was one of the questions.
Derek McGinty. Three percent missed that, though, which I
was wondering who they were.
George Stephanopoulos. I'll--I'll--I'll confess. I took the
test and I got--I got two wrong. But I think George is on to
something. I actually taught at--at Columbia the last couple
of years, and they have a core curriculum which helps. What I
saw among the students now is they're in some ways very--so
much smarter than students in the past. Their SAT scores are
through the roof, but they don't necessarily know as much
because they're not getting this concentrated teaching in
history and other subjects.
Sam Donaldson. Derek, a lot of white Americans look at some
courses that introduce African history at the expense of US
history and they say, `They got it wrong.'
Mr. McGinty. Well, I mean, you're acting like there's only
room for one. I think you have to have an inclusive view of
history . . .
Mr. Donaldson. I'm not acting any way, but I'm asking you
about that because what I told you is correct. A lot of white
Americans look at these courses and say, `Well, I should be
studying Texas history.'
[[Page H5664]]
Mr. McGinty. Well, I think they should be studying history
as it--as it goes. It shouldn't be African or anything else.
It--it never was that before, you know. Just when it was--to
began to become--become more inclusive, suddenly it was
African or whatever. I think that there is room to have a
wide-ranging knowledge without leaving out anybody's history.
Mr. Cooper. And that was some of ``This Week'' from
yesterday.
Jim Sciutto. We have the quiz right here. And Anderson has
not taken it, so I'm going to take this opportunity to ask
him a couple of questions.
Mr. Cooper. Uh-huh, Do you know what they teach you in your
first year of correspondence--of anchor school, by the way?
Mr. Sciutto. Never be quizzed on air, right.
Mr. Cooper. Exactly.
Mr. Sciutto. George W. Bush should have learned that
lesson.
Mr. Cooper. Do you want to know what other questions you're
never suppose to . . .
Mr. Sciutto. See, he's stalling so I can't ask him a single
question.
Mr. Cooper. I'm using up time is what I'm doing.
Mr. Donaldson. I want to now come to something that has
nothing to do with politics. It has to do with education.
Published in the New York Times is an interesting History 101
quiz. It was not given by the Times, but someone gave this to
55 universities. These are college seniors and Harvard and
other prestigious schools were included. Here were some of
the questions and some of the percentages of right answers.
Number one. Folks, play along. Who was the American general
at Yorktown? William T. Sherman, Ulysses S. Grant, Douglas
McArthur, George Washington. Derek:
Mr. McGinty. George Washington.
Mr. Donaldson. Well, only 34 percent--34 percent--got that
right.
Number two. John Marshall was the author of Roe vs. Wade,
Dred Scott and Kansas, Murbury vs. Madison, Brown vs. the
Board of Education. George:
Mr. Will. Marbury vs. Madison.
Mr. Donaldson. That's correct. I mean, the great chief
justice. Twenty-one percent of college seniors got that
right.
Number three. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during the
Vietnam War, World War II, World War I, the Civil War. I
could add the Peloponnesian War. George Will:
Mr. Will. World War II.
Mr. Donaldson. World War II.
Mr. Will. Sam . . .
Mr. Donaldson. Well, let me just tell them--only 37 percent
got that right. But what do you make of this?
Mr. Will. Well, all of these seniors at some very
prestigious schools, I don't know all of them, but they
included Harvard, Princeton and Brown. All these schools had
one thing in common: none of them have an American History
prerequisite requirement for graduation.
Mr. Donaldson. Why not?
Mr. Will. Well, that's an excellent question, having seen
that.
Mr. McGinty. If we're fair, though, some of those questions
that had the lower percentages--because some of the answers
70 and 80 percent did get correct--some of the more obscure
questions were . . .
Mr. Sciutto. Who said ``Give me liberty or give me death?''
Mr. Cooper. And my options are?
Mr. Sciutto. Patrick Henry, James Madison, John Hancock, or
Samuel Adams.
Mr. Cooper. Patrick Henry.
Mr. Sciutto. Right on. You're watching World News Now.
____
[From CNN Late Edition With Wolf Blitzer July 2, 2000]
Wolf Blitzer. Time now for Bruce Morton's ``Last Word,'' On
this holiday weekend, when we celebrate America's past, some,
it seems, may have to go back and hit the history books.
Bruce Morton, CNN correspondent. Independence Day is coming
up--a good time to think about U.S. history, a subject
America's young adults may not have a very good grasp of
these days. A new survey asked randomly selected seniors from
the country's top colleges and universities, among them
Amherst, Harvard, Stanford, 34 multiple choice questions
about American history.
Ninety-nine percent knew that Beavis and Butthead were TV
cartoon characters. Eighty-nine percent knew that Sputnik was
the first man-made satellite. Just one in four, 26 percent,
knew that the emancipation Proclamation said that slaves in
Confederate territory were free. Just 60 percent knew that
the Constitution was the document which established the
division of powers between the states and the federal
government.
Thirty-eight percent correctly said Valley Forge was the
lowest point in America fortunes during the Revolutionary
War. Twenty-four percent said Bunker Hill was. Asked who was
the American general at Yorktown, where the British
surrendered ending the Revolutionary War, 34 percent
correctly said George Washington, but 37 percent picked
Ulysses Grant, a Union general in the Civil War.
Only 23 percent, correctly picked James Madison as the
father of the Constitution. Fifty-three percent Thomas
Jefferson, who instead wrote the Declaration of Independence,
signed 224 years ago this week.
Forty percent knew it was accused spy Nathan Hale who said,
``I regret that I have only one life to give for my
country,'' Just 22 percent knew that the phrase ``government
of the people, by the people, and for the people'' came from
Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Thirty-one percent said the
U.S. Constitution, 43 percent the Declaration of
independence.
One student of the 556 surveyed got all 34 questions right.
Two students tied for worst--two questions right, the score
of 6 percent. Overall, the average was 53 percent right. Put
another way, if this had been a regular college test, 65
percent would have flunked, 16 percent gotten Ds, and 19
percent C or higher. Why such poor scores? Maybe because 100
percent of the colleges and universities in this survey,
require no American history courses; 78 percent require no
history at all.
A philosopher named George Santayana once wrote, ``Those
who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.''
What if he was right?
Happy Independence Day.
I'm Bruce Morton.
____
[From the Chicago Tribune, July 2, 2000]
Jefferson, Not ``The Jeffersons''
(By William Hageman)
Another wave of college graduates is heading off into the
real world, armed with degrees and eager to make their mark.
Just don't ask them anything about history.
The American Council of Trustees and Alumni recently
commissioned a survey of more than 500 college seniors from
some of the top colleges and universities in the U.S.
According to the results, four out of five seniors quizzed
received a grade of D or F on history questions drawn from a
basic high school curriculum. How bad was it?
--Only 34 percent of the students surveyed could identify
George Washington as an American general at the Battle of
Yorktown, the culminating battle of the American Revolution.
--Only 22 percent knew the line ``Government of the people,
by the people, for the people'' came from the Gettysburg
Address.
--Only 26 percent were familiar with the Emancipation
Proclamation.
But all is not lost. Ninety-nine percent of the students
knew who the cartoon characters Beavis and Butt-head are, and
98 percent could identify the rap singer Snoop Doggy Dogg.
On second thought, maybe all is lost.
____
[From the Boston Herald, July 2, 2000]
History's Greek To Them
``Don't know much about history,'' goes the refrain to an
old pop tune. According to a survey by the American Council
of Trustees and Alumni, it should be the theme song at
America's elite institutions of higher education.
In the survey of seniors at 55 of the nation's top schools,
including Harvard and Princeton, nearly 80 percent received a
``D'' or ``F'' grade on a 34-question, high-school level
American history exam.
Most didn't know that the U.S. Constitution establishes a
division of power in the national government--a real brain-
teaser.
While 99 percent were familiar with the foul-mouthed
cartoon characters Beavis and Butthead, only 23 percent
identified James Madison as the principal framer of the
Constitution.
None of these colleges has an American history graduation
requirement, and 78 percent have no history requirement at
all.
Public schools share responsibility for this tragedy.
American history is too often relegated to minor league
status, squeezed in amid the trendy programs du jour.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, (D-Conn.), and others have
introduced a resolution calling on administrators, trustees
and state officials to strengthen the teaching of American
history at all levels. When you're starting with next to
nothing, there's nowhere to go but up.
____
[From the Dayton Daily News, July 5, 2000]
Info-Age Students Missing It
(By Mary McCarty)
Welcome back to work. If we can believe our daily
newspapers--and of course we can, every blessed word--we
spent this extravagant gift of a four-day weekend in style:
traveling, barbecuing, ooh-ing and aah-ing over dozens of
area fireworks displays.
But not, apparently, teaching our young anything about the
significance of the holiday.
Sunday's New York Times raised the question: What in Bunker
Hill do our college seniors know about history?
The Times reported that a Washington-based nonprofit, the
American Council of Trustees and Alumni, conducted a survey
of 556 seniors at 55 ``leading colleges,'' including Harvard
and Brown. They asked 32 high school-level history questions,
throwing in a couple of pop-culture gimmes.
One student scored 100 percent. The average score was 53
percent.
Ninety-nine percent could identify Beavis and Butthead as
cartoon characters.
But, given four multiple-choice answers--with the answers
staring them in the face as expectantly as Regis Philbin--a
mere 22 percent could place the phrase ``Government of the
people, by the people, for the people'' in the Gettysburg
Address.
Ninety-eight percent knew that Snoop Doggy Dog is a rap
artist; 28 percent knew the Battle of the Bulge took place in
World War II.
Thirty-eight percent guessed that the ``lowest point in the
Revolutionary War'' was Valley Forge.
Yikes! These are the scions of the Information Age. An
unprecedented amount of
[[Page H5665]]
knowledge is literally at their fingertips, only a mouse
click away. Miles and miles and miles of memory. Yet their
cultural memory banks appear to be running alarmingly low.
Is that their fault or ours?
How long has it been since American history was truly part
of the national conversation?
Over the four-day weekend, we did Fourth of July with all
the trimmings: Fireworks, hot dogs and mustard, cookouts.
Only once, during that time, did any or our friends mention
the significance of the holiday. That was Zafar Rizvi of
Butler Twp. He was born in Pakistan.
He brought us an essay making the Internet rounds,
``Remembering Independence Day.'' ``Have you ever wondered
what happened to the 56 men who signed the Declaration of
Independence?'' the essay begins, and proceeds to elaborate,
in gruesome detail.
At Zafar's insistence, we reluctantly turned our attention
away from the grill. ``I didn't know any of these things!''
he exclaimed.
He wanted to know. ``I think a lot of times people take for
granted the freedom that they have--the right to vote,
freedom of religion, the right to change the system,'' be
said. ``I never voted until I became an American citizen.''
Zafar hasn't missed a change to vote in 15 years. He brings
his 9-year-old son with him. He wears an ``I voted'' sticker
back to the office.
He thinks it's important not only that we exercise our
present-day freedoms, but also that we remember and celebrate
our past. ``A lot of people don't know the sacrifices made by
their grandparents and great-great-grandparents,'' he said.
``The Fourth of July is always a great feeling. I'm proud to
be an American.''
Maybe Harvard should appoint him honorary professor. We
seem to be in danger of raising future generations with
gigabytes of information instantly at their disposal.
And none of it engraved in their hearts.
____
[From the Hartford Courant, July 2, 2000]
History is a Mystery to Many
Maybe it's not surprising that far more college seniors can
identify Beavis and Butt-head than can describe James
Madison's role in framing the Constitution. But it's
disconcerting nevertheless.
A test to measure the teaching of American history was
given to seniors at 55 top colleges and universities,
including Harvard and Princeton. Administered by the Center
for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of
Connecticut, the 34-question test revealed a depressing
dearth of knowledge about the United States. Nearly 80
percent of this country's best and brightest got a D or an F.
More than a third of the students didn't know, for example,
that the Constitution established the division of powers in
American government.
Thomas Jefferson, who understood better than most that
democracy depends on an educated public, must be tossing in
his grave. Those who have knowledge about the nation's past
are more likely to be invested in its future and to
participate in its democratic processes. Sen. Joseph I.
Lieberman quoted the sage of Monticello as saying, ``If a
nation expects to be ignorant and free, it expects that never
was and never will be.'' The United States seems ``well on
its way to testing this proposition,'' Mr. Lieberman said.
Across the years, students have always been more familiar
with the popular culture of their own era than with history.
But perhaps never during the life of the Republic have so
many known so little about the past.
One of the reasons is the weakening of curriculums. The
UConn study found that none of the 55 colleges taking part in
the survey require American history for graduation. Only 78
percent of the schools require students to take any history
classes. Course catalogs are filled with too much politically
correct drivel.
Mr. Lieberman is part of a bipartisan group in Congress
that has introduced resolutions in the Senate and House
calling on boards of trustees, college administrators and
state education officials to strengthen American history
requirements at all levels of the educational system.
Ordinarily politicians should keep their hands off
curriculums, but somebody has to speak up about the sorry
state of history instruction today.
____
[From the Chicago Sun-Times, July 4, 2000]
Unhappy Course of Human Events
Today is Independence Day, the day we observe the July 4,
1776, signing of the Declaration of Independence. Oh, for you
college kids out there? That's . . . independence . . . from
. . . England.
We feel compelled to make that clear after reading the
other day about a recent history quiz given to seniors at 55
top universities and colleges. The results of the 34-question
American history test--high school level, at that--revealed
that nearly 80 percent of the students received a D or an F.
The sorry showing revealed that college students--our,
gulp, future leaders--are rather illiterate, history-wise.
Beavis and Butt-head? Ninety-nine percent knew those cartoon
miscreants. James Madison? the ``Father of the Constitution''
was accurately identified by only 23 percent.
The survey was commissioned by the American Council of
Trustees and Alumni, which used it to bemoan the back seat
that history courses have taken in many of the nation's
universities. ``Students are allowed to graduate as if they
didn't know the past existed,'' said one of the study's
authors. That is a damning indictment of the nation's
colleges and schools. Surely, one of the functions of
education is to pass on the responsibilities of citizenship.
Too many kids leave high school unable to read; now we have
evidence that too many leave college unable to answer the
most fundamental of history questions.
Those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it,
was the warning of philosopher George Santayana. But we don't
have to wait long to see the consequences of being
disconnected from our history. Every election it becomes more
and more apparent as voter turnout declines. Too many
Americans have forgotten--or never learned about--the blood,
sweat and tears that have been shed in the past for the
freedoms we enjoy--and take for granted--in the 21st century.
Young people have a particularly disappointing level of non-
involvement at the ballot box. They are ignorant of this
country's tradition of representative democracy, its record
of expanding liberty and the duty of responsible adults to
participate in our republic's political life.
Is it any wonder so many young people see no relevance in
politics?
____
[From the Detroit News, July 2, 2000]
Beavis Meets ``The Patriot''
The new Mel Gibson movie, The Patriot, a historical epic
about the American Revolution, opened on this most patriotic
of weekends to generally upbeat reviews. If the results of a
recent survey are considered, however, one wonders where its
audience may be.
The survey indicated that 80 percent of college seniors,
tested at some of this nation's most prestigious schools,
could not pass a very basic quiz on American history.
Only 23 percent, for example, correctly identified James
Madison as the principal framer of the U.S. Constitution.
However, 99 percent knew who Beavis and Butthead were. So
they certainly wouldn't be expected to know much about how
the War for Independence was conducted in South Carolina 220
years ago.
The survey results are hardly a surprise, given the way
that history has been watered down, politically cleansed or
eradicated for an entire generation of students. The
universities chosen for the study were, in fact, selected on
the basis of not requiring any American history course for
graduation.
The English critics, who tend to take history a good deal
more seriously, have complained that Mr. Gibson's film is
perfectly beastly to the Brits. And in fact the Revolution,
for all its glorification in American folklore, was a nasty,
vicious war on both sides. It wasn't pretty, but it's a real
part of U.S. history.
Mr. Gibson is, or course, a major star who turned
Braveheart, a film about the 13th-century struggle of Scots
under William Wallace to be free of English rule, into a box
office success. One of its big scenes featured the hero's
soldiers baring their backsides in a gesture of defiance.
Not much of that went on in the Revolutionary War. If it
had, Mr. Gibson may have found a way to bring in the Beavis
and Butthead crowd.
____
[From Newsday (New York, NY), July 4, 2000]
Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Barbecue
(By James P. Pinkerton)
July 4 was once known as Independence Day, but now it's
simply ``The Fourth of July.'' The sense of history that once
motivated parades and patriotic displays is gone, maybe
forever.
So today those who know that the Fourth commemorates the 56
signers of the Declaration of Independence, who risked all
for ``life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,'' are
joined by those who see the holiday as an opportunity for
barbecue, fireworks and party-heartying. And, although there
is nothing wrong with revelry, remembrance is even better.
A new survey of 556 college seniors conducted by the
American Council of Trustees and Alumni finds that, while 99
percent can correctly identify the cartoon characters Beavis
and Butt-head, only 45 percent know even vaguely when Thomas
Jefferson, principal author of the Declaration, served as
president.
And, while 98 percent can identify the rap singer Snoop
Doggy Dog, only 34 percent know that George Washington was
the commander at the Battle of Yorktown, which settled the
question of American independence.
To be sure, there's often an element of snobbery in polls
that show Americans don't know much about history. No doubt
many of the heroes of Yorktown, Gettsburg or the Battle of
the Bulge had little or no formal education (although
surviving veterans of that last Nazi offensive in late 1944
might be dismayed to know that just 37 percent of college
seniors recognize the Battle of the Bulge took place during
World War II).
But this poll was different: It wasn't directed toward
ordinary students but rather toward students at 55 leading
liberal-arts colleges, including Harvard and Princeton.
George Santayana, an Ivy Leaguer, once wrote that ``those
who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.''
But just the opposite can be argued, too: Those who don't
remember the past are doomed, or perhaps destined, never to
repeat it.
It's possible that the United States has reached such a
high plateau of economic
[[Page H5666]]
prosperity and technologically based military superiority
that the old values of heroism and sacrifice are no longer
deemed necessary.
As evidence, consider the most useful look at the state of
the union in print today: a new book, ``Bobos in Paradise:
The New Upper Class and How They Got There,'' by David
Brooks. Bobos--a neologism combining ``bourgeois'' and
``bohemian''--are defined as ``the new information-age
elite'' for whom ``self-cultivation is the imperative, with
the emphasis on self.''
So much, then, for the dying words--``I only regret that I
have but one life to lose for my country''--of Revolutionary
patriot Nathan Hale (whom just 40 percent of the college
seniors could identify).
Freely identifying himself as a Bobo, Brooks writes,
``We're not so bad. All societies have elites, and our
educated elite is a lot more enlightened than some of the
older elites, which were based on blood or wealth or military
valor.''
It would be easy to dismiss Bobos as selfish hedonists with
no larger interests beyond themselves, but that wouldn't tell
the whole story.
It's more accurate to assert that the Bobos, and all other
less-well-off Americans who follow their politico-cultural
leadership, are developing loyalties to newer ideas and
institutions that seem more relevant to them than the
American heritage.
For example, while the Stars and Stripes are as scarce as
chewing tobacco in Bobo neighborhoods, it's easy to find
environmentally-themed bumper strips, window decals, even
flags and banners. Similarly, other cultural and political
beliefs--from abortion rights to gay rights to gun control--
are visibly represented in Bobo enclaves.
If patriotism can be defined as loyalty to the group, then
Bobos are patriotic in their own fashion. Their loyalties are
tilted away from the nation-state and toward new categories
that often transcend national boundaries.
But even Brooks, bard of the Bobos, worries that Americans
have drifted away from patriotic moorings.
``The Bobo task,'' he writes, ``is to rebuild some sense of
a united polity, some sense of national cohesion.''
That's what ``Independence Day'' was once all about.
But today ``interdependence'' seems to many to be a more
useful concept. If so, then maybe history, with all its
bloody memories, really can be a thing of the past.
But, if not, the Bobos of today will have a hard time
summoning up old-fashioned patriotism out of the fog of
forgetfulness.
____
[From the Roanoke Times & World News, July 3, 2000]
Don't Let America's History Fade Away
Suppose you had to pass a pop quiz on America's history
before you could eat a hot dog or take in a fireworks display
tomorrow in celebration of the nation's founding. Could you?
Or are you in the category with about 80 percent of seniors
at some of the nation's top colleges and universities who--
according to a survey released last week by the University of
Connecticut--are more familiar with America's bad boys Beavis
and Butt-head than with America's Founding Fathers and the
principles that guided them?
If the answer to the last question is ``yes,'' perhaps you
should skip the hot dogs and fireworks and instead attend one
of the many naturalization ceremonies that will be held
tomorrow for immigrants to become American citizens.
Those immigrants must pass a test about U.S. history and
government, and often, say some officials of the Immigration
and Naturalization Service, they are more knowledgeable on
the subjects than many folks born, bred and educated in the
USA.
OK, pretend the game isn't ``Who Wants to Be a
Millionaire'' but ``Who Wants to Be an American?'' Pretend
the stakes are--more valuable than money--the freedoms and
privileges that most Americans consider their birthright.
Could you, as immigrants must, correctly answer such
questions as:
Why did the Pilgrims come to America? Name the 13 original
states. What did the Emancipation Proclamation do? How many
amendments are there to the Constitution? Why are there 100
members of the U.S. Senate? Who has the power to declare war?
Who was Martin Luther King Jr.? Who is the commander in chief
of the U.S. military? Which countries were our enemies during
World War II? What are the two major political parties in
America today? Who selects Supreme Court justices? What is
the basic premise of the Declaration of Independence?
Granted, many immigrants participating in naturalization
ceremonies tomorrow might think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
(rather than Abraham Lincoln) freed the slaves. But few would
confuse Jerry Springer with Patrick Henry, and almost all
would know that the basic premise of the Declaration of
Independence is that ``all Men are created equal'' and ``are
endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights.''
Any American born-and-bred college senior who doesn't know
that should be flogged around the ears and jowls with a raw
wiener.
____
[From the Ledger (Lakeland, FL), July 2, 2000]
Give Me Liberty or Give Me . . . Beavis?; Opinion
(By Thomas Roe Oldt)
They say the kiddies don't know much about history. And
we're not talking little kiddies, either. We're talking
college seniors from the nation's allegedly top universities.
``They'' are the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at
the University of Connecticut, which recently conducted a
review of what those seniors know about American history.
Turns out, not much. Given a 34-question multiple-guess
high school exam on the subject, 80 percent received a D or
F.
More than a quarter couldn't pick the leader of the
Abolitionist Movement when given a choice among four people,
three of whom weren't even alive prior to the Civil War.
Defining ``Abolitionist'' doubtless would have been a
problem, but the kiddies were saved the embarrassment of
being subjected to an exam even moderately comprehensive.
When asked to select the time frame of the Civil War in 50-
year increments from 1750 to 1950 and beyond, 40 percent were
stymied.
When it came to Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, 67
percent couldn't pick him as the author of Marbury v.
Madison. The other choices included two 20th century picks,
Roe v. Wade and Brown v. Board of Education.
Asked under whose administration the Korean War began, 65
percent thought it was someone other than Harry Truman.
The source of the phrase ``Government of the people, by the
people, for the people'' was misidentified by 78 percent of
respondents.
Only 26 percent knew that the Emancipation Proclamation
freed slaves only in areas of the Confederacy not held by the
Union. Reconstruction was believed by all but 29 percent to
refer to something other than readmission of the Confederate
states and protection of the rights of former slaves. Almost
60 percent thought it referred to repairing physical damage
caused by the Civil War.
While 72 percent knew that Joseph Stalin was leader of the
Soviet Union when the United States entered World War II,
some picked Peter Ustinov, the actor. Too bad for the
millions who died under Stalin, a very bad actor, that
Ustinov wasn't head honcho. Thomas Jefferson was thought by
53 percent to be ``Father of the Constitution'' and 23
percent believed John F. Kennedy uttered the words, ``I
regret that I have only one life to give for my country.''
Thirteen percent identified Sitting Bull as the phrase-
maker who came up with ``Speak softly but carry a big
stick.''
Basic cultural stuff, all in all.
But take heart! Speaking of base culture, all but 2 percent
could identify Beavis, Butthead and Snoop Doggy Dog. It's a
good thing Our Future Leaders weren't asking about world
history. If the Magna Carta posed problems for them--only 56
percent got it right--imagine what the Hundred Years War
would do?
So as an Independence Day weekend public service exercise,
here is a simple quasi-world history exam sent in by a
friend. Try this out on your college senior.
1. How long did the Hundred Years War last?
2. Which country makes Panama hats?
3. Where do we get catgut?
4. In which month do Russians celebrate the October
Revolution?
5. What is a camel's hair brush made of?
6. The Canary Islands are named after what animal?
7. What was King George VI's first name?
8. What color is a purple finch?
9. What country do Chinese gooseberries come from?
10. How long did the Thirty Years War last?
While it's highly tempting to stretch this out over two
columns in order to fill the greatest possible space with the
least imaginable effort, it doesn't seem fair. So here are
the answers?
1. 116 years, from 1337 to 1453.
2. Ecuador.
3. From sheep and horses.
4. November, since the Russian calendar was 13 days behind
ours in 1917.
5. Squirrel fur.
6. The Latin name was Insularia Canaria, ``Island of the
Dogs.''
7. Albert.
8. Distinctively crimson.
9. New Zealand.
10. At last! Thirty years, from 1618 to 1648. On the advice
of counsel, there will be no disclosure as the columnist's
grade. Suffice it to say that the American history exam
offered much less resistance.
Thomas Roe Oldt is a Winter Haven-based columnist for The
Ledger. His opinion column appears on Sunday.
____
[From the Times-Picayune, July 4, 2000]
Students Should at Least Know George
(By James Gill)
``The Patriot'' is released at the same time as the latest
survey to conclude that young Americans don't know squat.
What they are ignorant of on this occasion is American
history, ``they'' being seniors at such tony schools as
Harvard, Princeton and Brown. If they catch the flick, they
may learn a thing or two about the Revolutionary War, which
appears to be a closed book right now.
If your kid's an Ivy League hot shot who hasn't yet seen
``The Patriot,'' please do not spoil it by revealing how that
war turned out. Since Mel Gibson is the star, they will
probably have their money on Australia.
Ok, let us not exaggerate, for it is not necessary. The
American Council of Trustees
[[Page H5667]]
and Alumni asked 556 students 34 easy questions. Although
multiple choice made them even easier, only one kid got them
all right, and the average score was 53 percent.
But the students are not so savvy as the numbers suggest.
Two of the questions were gimmes, with only 1 percent failing
to identify Beavis and Butthead as television carton
characters and 2 percent laboring under the misapprehension
that Snoop Doggy Dog was either a Charles Schultz cartoon, a
mystery series or a jazz pianist.
Some of the answers suggested to serious questions,
moreover, were too outlandish for consideration. Anyone not
knowing who was leader of the Soviet Union at the outbreak of
World War II, for instance, should not have had much trouble
ruling out the English actor Peter Ustinov or the late
Yugoslavian premier Marshal Tito. The fourth option was
Khrushchev. The students did better on that question than on
most, with 72 percent plumping for Stalin.
For 32 of the questions, four possible answers were
suggested--five for each of the other two. A troglodyte asked
to complete the survey might therefore expect to score close
to 25 percent with the aid of a pin.
If the survey is to be trusted, the most privileged and
educated of American kids are worth two troglodytes. Perhaps
it is best if we do not know what the ratio is in Louisiana
public colleges.
Today's students have such a shaky grasp of the
revolutionary era that even George Washington is quite a
mystery to them. Only 34 percent identified him as the
American general at Yorktown, and 42 percent as being ``first
in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his
countrymen.''
One suspects that these kids must have been in puckish
mood, deliberately giving wrong answers. It is hard to
believe, for instance,that anyone could get through grade
school without knowing that Patrick Henry said, ``Give me
liberty or give me death.'' Yet there we have 34 percent of
college seniors who purportedly do not know.
It is not that these kids have anything against the
revolution. They are just as ill-informed about everything
else.
A stock question in these surveys seems to be when the
Civil War took place. Not precisely, of course, but within 50
years. The results are always shocking. This time there were
five answers to choose from, starting with 1750-1800 and
ending with the half-century now about to conclude. A
pathetic 60 percent nailed it.
Applicants for American citizenship have to know more than
plenty of these guys. A standard question for immigrants, for
instance, is what the Emancipation Proclamation was all
about, and there is no multiple choice. Of the students in
this survey, 26 percent chose the right answer. Only 52
percent knew that the division of powers between the states
and the federal government is spelled out in the
Constitution.
Ask about anything--the Federalist Papers, Alexis de
Tocqueville, the Scopes trial, the Monroe Doctrine--and a
profound ignorance is revealed. Let us hope that Henry Ford
was right when he said, ``History is more or less bunk,'' and
George Santayana was wrong when he said, ``Those who cannot
remember the past are condemned to repeat it.''
Unfortunately, one suspects that Ford was about as good at
philosophy as Santayana was at making cars.
While college seniors appear to be lacking in intellectual
curiosity, today's sixth-graders, The New York Times reports,
are under such pressure to excel in school that they study
constantly and may ``suffer tension headaches and bouts of
anxiety.''
Maybe everyone should make time to go see a movie.
____
[From The Reporter, July 2, 2000]
History 101: Americans Flunk When it Comes to U.S. Knowledge
(By Amy Baumhardt)
If the words, ``Give me liberty or give me death,'' sound
only vaguely familiar, you apparently have plenty of company.
According to a recent survey, nearly 80 percent of seniors
at 55 top colleges and universities--including Harvard and
Princeton--received a D or F on a 34 question, high school
level American history test. Yet, 98 percent were able to
recognize the music of recording artist Snoop Doggy Dogg and
99 percent could identify cartoon characters Beavis and
Butthead.
How is this possible? Sixth District Rep. Thomas Petri, R--
Fond du Lac, is asking the same question.
Petri has joined with U.S. Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-
Conn., to announce the introduction of a resolution
expressing ``the importance and value of United States
history'' and calling on boards of trustees, college
administrators and state officials to strengthen American
history requirements.
On June 27, the Petri-Lieberman bill was introduced, urging
colleges to take seriously the need to teach American
history.
Petri said, ``As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of
July, it is particularly appropriate to emphasize our need to
know U.S. history.
He added, ``A basic knowledge of United States history is
essential to a full and informed participation in civic life.
It is also the one bond that brings together our diverse
peoples into a single nation with a common purpose.''
Petri feels that ``when we lose our civic memory, when we
lose our understanding of the remarkable individuals, events
and values that have shaped our experiment in self-
government, we are losing much of what it means to be an
American.''
Local high school history teachers and college professors
agree, to a point.
The consensus seems to be that history is obviously
important. However, today's teachers are placing less of an
emphasis on specific dates and times and more concentration
on the overall impact history has on the lives of Americans.
``In my classroom, I teach my students historical
concepts,'' said Lisa Steinacker, history teacher at Goodrich
High School. ``I think it gives kids a better understanding
of why things are the way they are today.''
At Ripon college, Professor Russell Blake shares the same
philosophy.
``There needs to be an assurance that all citizens have
some understanding of American history. However, I am not so
much concerned that the students know exact dates but that
they learn how to acquire historical knowledge.''
Acquiring the knowledge doesn't seem to be a problem in the
Fond du Lac area, especially on the high school level.
Steinacker was pleased to announce that history was the
highest scoring subject on standardized tests for Fond du Lac
students.
``I think that speaks highly for the K-12 curriculum in
this area,'' she said.
Blake has no complaints on the college-end either.
``I think as a teacher, I will always have the wish that
students would know more, but I have been a professor at
Ripon since 1981 and have seen no decline in my students'
performances,'' he said.
Perhaps Petri is correct in assuming the problems lies in
the fact that many students, once they reach the college
level, are no longer required to take U.S. history courses.
At present, students can graduate from 100 percent of the
top colleges and universities in the nation without taking a
single course in U.S. history. At 78 percent of the
institutions, students are not required to take any history
at all.
``The focus always seems to be on math and science,'' said
Steinacker. ``An understanding of history is important to be
a well-rounded individual.''
With the Fourth of July, the day of American independence,
fast approaching, the need for historical understanding seems
relevant to fully appreciate the holiday. Most of us enjoy a
holiday on the Fourth, but do we know why?
Here's a quick history lesson:
Independence Day is the national holiday of the United
States of America, commemorating this nation's split from
England and the beginning of self government.
U.S. colonists were angered with King George III, due to
England's ``taxation without representation'' policy. When
nothing was done to change the situation, colonists took
matters into their own hands.
In June 1776, a committee was formed to compose a formal
declaration of independence. Headed by Thomas Jefferson, the
committee included John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip
Livingston and Roger Sherman.
Together the men created the document that Americans still
cherish and abide by today . . . the Declaration of
Independence. The Continental Congress approved this document
on July 4, 1776.
American history helps to define the nation's culture. It
is not possible to bury the past if we hope to have a
prosperous future.
Like Goodrich teacher Mike Dressler said last week. ``The
purpose of learning about history is so we don't repeat it.''
____
Education: Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb? (a) Beavis and Butthead, (b)
Lee, (c) Grant, (d) Brains of Today's Collegians
Like other Americans, many of this year's graduating
seniors from the nation's top colleges and universities
celebrated Independence Day with fireworks and barbecues. But
according to a recent survey sponsored by the American
Council of Trustees and Alumni, a Washington-based non-profit
organization that promotes academic excellence in higher
education, those graduates would have better spent the day
learning what the Fourth of July means in history.
In the survey, the Roper organization last fall asked 556
seniors at the 55 highest-rated colleges and universities to
complete a test on 34 high-school-level questions about
American history. What do they know about their own country's
past? Not much. Only one-third of the students could
correctly answer more than 60 percent of the questions, even
with a couple of pop-culture gimmes thrown in; just one
correctly answered all of them. Overall, the average score
was an appalling 53 percent.
How badly ignorant are the nation's young best and
brightest about American history? Match yourself against the
elite from Stanford, UC-Berkeley, UCLA, Harvard and other top
colleges by taking the same test. Find out who are the real
Yankee Doodle Dandies.
1. When was the Civil War?
a. 1750-1800
b. 1800-1850
c. 1850-1900
d. 1900-1950
e. after 1950
2. Who said ``Give me liberty or give me death''?
a. John Hancock
b. James Madison
c. Patrick Henry
d. Samuel Adams
3. What is the Magna Carta?
a. The foundation of the British parliamentary system
[[Page H5668]]
b. The Great Seal of the monarchs of England
c. The French Declaration of the Rights of Man
d. The charter signed by the Pilgrims on the Mayflower
4. The term Reconstruction refers to:
a. Payment of European countries' debts to the United
States after the First World War
b. Repairing of 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 of the transcontinental railroad and the
canal system
5. Are Beavis and Butthead . . .
a. A radio show
b. Television cartoon characters
c. A musical group
d. Fictional soldiers
6. The Scopes trial was about:
a. Freedom of the press
b. Teaching evolution in the schools
c. Prayer in the schools
d. Education in private schools
7. The Emancipation Proclamation issued by Lincoln stated
that:
a. Slaves were free in areas of the Confederate states not
held by the Union
b. The slave trade was illegal
c. Slaves who fled to Canada would be protected
d. Slavery was abolished in the Union
8. The purpose of the authors of the Federalist Papers was
to:
a. Establish a strong, free press in the colonies
b. Confirm George Washington's election as the first
president
c. Win foreign approval for the Revolutionary War
d. Gain ratification of the U.S. Constitution
9. Sputnik was the name given to the first:
a. Telecommunications system
b. Animal to travel into space
c. Hydrogen bomb
d. Man-made satellite.
10. The Missouri Compromise was the act that:
a. Funded the Lewis and Clark expedition on the upper
Missouri River
b. Granted statehood to Missouri but denied the admission
of any other states
c. Settled the boundary dispute between Missouri and Kansas
d. Admitted Maine into the Union as a free state and
Missouri as a slave state
11. 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
12. When was Thomas Jefferson president?
a. 1780-1800
b. 1800-1820
c. 1820-1840
d. 1840-1860
e. 1860-1880
13. What was the lowest point in American fortunes in the
Revolutionary War?
a. Saratoga
b. Bunker Hill
c. Valley Forge
d. Fort Ticonderoga
14. In his farewell address, President George Washington
warned against the danger of:
a. Expanding into territories beyond the Appalachian
Mountains
b. Having war with Spain over Mexico
c. Entering into permanent alliances with foreign
governments
d. Building a standing army and strong navy
15. The Monroe Doctrine declared that:
a. The American blockade of Cuba was in accord with
international law
b. Europe should not acquire new territories in Western
Hemisphere
c. Trade with China should be open to all Western nations
d. The annexation of the Philippines was legitimate
16. Who was the European who traveled in the United States
and wrote down perceptive comments about what he saw in
``Democracy in America''?
a. Lafayette
b. Tocqueville
c. Crevecoeur
d. Napoleon
17. Identify Snoop Doggy Dog.
a. A rap singer
b. Cartoon by Charles Schultz
c. A mystery series
d. A jazz pianist
18. Abraham Lincoln was president between:
a. 1780-1800
b. 1800-1820
c. 1820-1840
d. 1840-1860
e. 1860-1880
19. Who was the American general at Yorktown?
a. William T. Sherman
b. Ulysses S. Grant
c. Douglas McArthur
d. George Washington
20. John Marshall was the author of:
a. Roe v. Wade
b. Dred Scott v. Kansas
c. Marbury v. Madison
d. Brown v. Board of Education
21. Who was the ``Father of the Constitution''?
a. George Washington,
b. Thomas Jefferson
c. Benjamin Franklin
d. James Madison
22. Who said, ``I regret that I have only one life to give
for my country''?
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Benedict Arnold
c. John Brown
d. Nathan Hale
23. 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. Declaration of Independence
c. U.S. Constitution
d. Gettysburg Address
24. Who was the second president of the U.S.?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. James Madison
c. John Adams
d. Benjamin Franklin
25. Who was president when the U.S. purchased the Panama
Canal?
a. Theodore Roosevelt
b. Jimmy Carter
c. Franklin D. Roosevelt
d. Woodrow Wilson
26. Who was the leading advocate for the U.S. entry into the
League of Nations?
a. George C. Marshall
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Henry Cabot Lodge
d. Eleanor Roosevelt
27. Who said, ``Speak softly but carry a big stick''?
a. William T. Sherman
b. Sitting Bull
c. John D. Rockefeller
d. Theodore Roosevelt
28. The Battle of the Bulge occurred during:
a. The Vietnam War
b. World War II
c. World War I
d. The Civil War
29. Which of the following was a prominent leader of the
Abolitionist Movement?
a. Malcolm X
b. Martin Luther King Jr.
c. W.E.B. Du Bois
d. Frederick Douglas
30. Who was the president of the United States at the
beginning of the Korean War?
a. John F. Kennedy
b. Franklin D. Roosevelt
c. Dwight Eisenhower
d. Harry Truman
31. When the United States entered World War II, which two
major nations were allied with Germany?
a. Italy and Japan
b. Italy and Poland
c. Italy and Russia
d. Russia and Japan
32. Social legislation passed under President Lyndon B.
Johnson's Great Society program included:
a. The Sherman Antitrust Act
b. The Voting Rights Act
c. The Tennessee Valley Authority
d. The Civilian Conservation Corps
33. Who was ``First in war, first in peace, first in the
hearts of his countrymen?''
a. George Washington
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Dwight Eisenhower
d. Abraham Lincoln
34. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union when the United
States entered World War II?
a. Peter Ustinov
b. Nikita Khruschev
c. Marshal Tito
d. Joseph Stalin
The answers, along with the percentage of respondents who
answered correctly:
1. C/60; 2. C/66; 3. A/56; 4. C/29; 5. B/99; 6. B/61; 7. A/
26; 8. D/53; 9. D/89; 10. D/52; 11. B/60; 12. B/45; 13. C/38;
14. C/52; 15. B/62; 16. B/49; 17. A/98; 18. E/44; 19. D/34;
20. C/33; 21. D/23; 22. D/40; 23. D/22; 24. C/73; 25. A/53;
26. B/69; 27. D/70; 28. B/37; 29. D/73; 30. D/35; 31. A/67;
32. B/30; 33. A/42; 34. D/72.
____
We Ignore History at Our Own Peril
Is it really surprising that 99 percent of college students
can identify ``Beavis and Butthead'' as television cartoon
characters but fail to identify key figures and concepts in
American history?
The only eye-raising revelation in the study by the Center
for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of
Connecticut was that the students surveyed were seniors at
the nation's top 55 top colleges and universities, including
Harvard and Princeton.
Nearly 80 percent of the students received a D or F on a
34-question, high school level American history test. They
had trouble identifying Valley Forge, words from the
Gettysburg Address or the basic principles of the U.S.
Constitution.
During this Independence Day weekend, this apparent
ignorance takes on a greater significance as we ponder the
words of Thomas Jefferson.
No. Not because Jefferson's DNA is being analyzed on Court
TV over that nasty paternity battle. He was the principal
author of the Declaration of Independence. Remember, ``We the
people . . .''
Naw. That guy Adams came up with the ``We the people . .
.'' slogan. ``We the people . . . in order to brew a tastier
beer.'' That's Samuel Adams. We are talking about James
Madison, the president and lead author of the Constitution
and Bill of Rights.
[[Page H5669]]
Rep. Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, was among the four members
of Congress last week that promises to introduce a resolution
calling on boards of trustees, college administrators and
state officials to strengthen American history requirements
in all levels of the educational system.
A high percentage of colleges and universities don't
require a single U.S. history class for graduation--lending
an unusual understanding to the phrase ``higher education.''
Even so, high school graduates should not get a degree unless
they know the basics of American history.
``As we prepare to celebrate the Fourth of July, it is
particularly appropriate to emphasize our need to know U.S.
history,'' Petri said. ``Without that familiarity, we lack an
understanding and appreciation of the democratic principles
which define and sustain us as a free people--namely liberty,
justice, tolerance, government by the consent of the
governed, and equality under the law.''
Although the most a Congressional resolution can do is
raise awareness, we were glad to see Petri help bring this
troubling information to light.
Is it any wonder that we cannot get people to vote or
involved in civic life?
We are not teaching our children why it is so absolutely
important.
The final thought: Americans should be ashamed that so many
young people are ignorant about U.S. history.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of Senate Concurrent Resolution 129,
and I want to thank the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) for
bringing this to the floor.
We frequently hear concerns regarding the adequacy of education our
children are receiving in the areas of math, science, and technology.
Indeed, our committee, Congress, and the community as a whole currently
focuses a great deal of attention on improving programs aimed at
increasing the literacy of students in these subjects. We should, of
course, continue to pursue excellence in the areas of math, science and
technology, if we intend for the United States to remain a world leader
in the increasingly competitive global economy.
However, is it not just as important that our citizens understand and
appreciate the history of this great Nation, the democratic principles
that define and sustain this Nation, such as liberty, justice,
tolerance and equality under the law? For in the words of the third
President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, ``If a Nation expects
to be ignorant and free, it expects what never was and never will be.''
However, as my colleague, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri),
has already stated, according to a recent study commissioned by the
American Council of Trustees and Alumni, knowledge of American history
in today's students is sorely lacking.
According to this study, which surveyed students from the top
colleges and universities of this Nation, less than 20 percent of
today's students could pass a high school level American history exam.
Barely half possess the basic knowledge about American democracy and
the Constitution.
We are not talking here about very difficult subjects, but we are
talking about the great history of this country, the great history of
the documents and theories of government that govern this Nation. We
are talking about the roles of Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, George
Washington, about the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
These are basic fundamental tenets of this Nation. They are also basic
and fundamental tenets that so many other nations aspire to, and yet we
find out that knowledge of these documents and of this Nation's history
is sorely lacking.
{time} 1415
The purpose of this resolution is to call attention to that problem
and to try and get people to understand the need to pursue the
knowledge of history in this country and the history of this Nation to
better serve the Nation as we govern it.
I would like to thank the involvement of John Patrick Diggins, one of
my former professors, at that time at San Francisco State who is now at
the State University in New York, and I want to thank again my
colleague, the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) and Senator
Lieberman and Senator Gorton for introducing this legislation in the
Senate, and I would hope that all of my colleagues would support it.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time.
Mr. SKEEN. Madam Speaker, I would like to take this opportunity to
thank the House for the expedited consideration of Senate Concurrent
Resolution 129, Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the
importance and value of education in United States history. In the
House of Representatives I had the honor of cosponsoring, along with
four other members of Congress, Congressman Petri's House Concurrent
Resolution 366, our companion resolution.
In many ways this resolution could be one of the most important
legislative efforts this Congress makes this year. What we are asking
is for America's colleges and universities to review their curricula
and add requirements in United States history. Many of us were shocked
to find out that 100 percent of the nation's top institutions of higher
learning no longer require United States history as a pre-requisite to
graduate. Almost as shocking is the 78 percent of schools that have
eliminated any history requirements.
Related to this news was the fact that the Roper organization
conducted a study of students from these institutions and found a
shocking level of history illiteracy. In fact many could not answer
history questions that are found on 8th grade tests. This is not good
news for our nation. Our next generations deserve more guidance from us
and that what this resolution calls for.
Our citizens, to fully participate in our government and in our
civilization need to understand where this nation has been. They need
to know the sacrifices our parents and grandparents made for our
democracy. They need to be able to fully celebrate the historical
successes we have had and they also need the knowledge to beware of the
mistakes we have made as a nation. Many will say that history is
cyclical. We still have much to learn as individuals and even more to
learn as a nation. History education can teach us much. It will provide
us with the information we need to pass on to the future generations.
It will provide the road map for a great future. I am extremely proud
to be a cosponsor of this important resolution.
Mr. KIND. Madam Speaker, this great country has an incredibly rich
history. From the great Native American civilizations to the current
era of global engagement, American history describes an incredible,
sometimes turbulent journey toward the greatest democracy in the world.
If the statistics cited in this bill are accurate, it is a shame so
many of our college graduates know so little about that history.
I am proud to sit on the subcommittee on Higher Education,
particularly since six universities are located in my district. It is
important that we promote U.S. history in our colleges and universities
to ensure that our future generations know we developed as a society
and a culture. For example, the Constitution embodies our most
cherished beliefs of democracy, liberty, justice, and equality. The
fact that scarcely half of the college students recently tested knew
even general information about the principles and institutions that
make up the backbone of our country is sadly unacceptable. We cannot
afford to have our colleges graduate historically illiterate citizens.
I admit I have a personal passion for history, and for me I benefit
from working in Washington and city's close proximity to so many
historical treasures. In particular I truly enjoy visiting the sites of
the Civil War to pay homage to the men and women. Such opportunities
have allowed me to actually experience parts of our history, and the
excitement and interest of these places are only enhanced by reading
about them and studying them beforehand.
I am also a student of European history, in particular, the history
of 20th Century Europe. In this information age and new economy I would
like to point out to college students that world history also remains
important to their education. Learning the history of other cultures
will greatly prepare them for their future in this rapidly changing
world.
Improvement of education remains one of my top priorities in
Congress. Therefore, I support this bill in order to encourage our
college students to learn the history of their nation; a history that
laid the foundation for their current and future opportunities.
Ms. JONES of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of S. Con.
Res. 129, which recognizes the importance of education in U.S. History.
Last week, we celebrated the 224th birthday of the United States.
Within this historic context, this resolution is particularly fitting
because throughout American history, education has enabled Americans to
embrace opportunity.
For African-Americans, literacy was key to ending the bondage of
slavery. For Americans of every background, education has been the key
to escaping poverty. For this reason, we in Congress bear significant
responsibility for
[[Page H5670]]
increasing support to educational programs, such as Head Start, Title
I, Pell Grants and other aid to college students, particularly students
who are the first in their families to attend college. We know that
disadvantaged students are more likely to drop out of high school and
college without completing a degree. Yet, most jobs that pay a living
wage now require knowledge of technology and training beyond high
school. It is our responsibility as a wealthy nation to provide
students with the support needed to graduate, join the economic
mainstream and contribute to our national success story.
Moreover, in our current consideration of welfare reform, we have
seen that targeted education and training can provide a leg up for
working poor families to raise earnings and escape poverty. In the
Eleventh Congressional District of Ohio, Cuyahoga Community College has
done an excellent job of reaching out to adults in transition, and in
preparing high school students for careers in technology. Around the
country, community colleges enable disadvantaged people to realize
their own potential and prepare to move into the economic mainstream.
The last seven years of prosperity we have enjoyed have not benefited
everyone in our society. Education and training are the keys that will
fling wide the portals of opportunity. America was founded on the
principles of ``Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.'' I salute
our American history, and the key role of education to ensure
opportunity for all.
Mr. PAUL. Madam Speaker, I rise to address two shortcomings of S.
Con. Res. 129. I am certainly in agreement with the sentiments behind
this resolution. The promotion of knowledge about, and understanding
of, American history are among the most important activities those who
wish to preserve American liberty can undertake. In fact, I would
venture to say that with my work with various educational
organizations, I have done as much, if not more, than any other member
of Congress to promote the study of American history.
Unfortunately, while I strongly support efforts to increase the
American public's knowledge of history, I cannot support a resolution
claiming to encourage Americans to embrace their constitutional
heritage, while its very language showcases a fundamental
misunderstanding of the beliefs of America's founders and the drafters
of the United States Constitution. Popular acceptance of this
misunderstanding of the founders' thought is much more dangerous to
American liberty than an inability to name the exact date of the Battle
at Bunker Hill.
In particular, the resolution refers to American ``democracy'' and
the ``democratic'' principles upon which this country was founded.
However, this country was founded not as a democracy but as a
constitutional republic. Madam Speaker, the distinction between a
democracy and a republic is more than just a matter of semantics. The
fundamental principle in a democracy is majority rule. Democracies,
unlike republics, do not recognize fundamental rights of citizens
(outside the right to vote) nor do they limit the power of the
government. Indeed, such limitations are often scored as ``intrusions
on the will of the majority.'' Thus in a democracy, the majority, or
their elected representatives, can limit an individual's right to free
speech, defend oneself, form contracts, or even raise ones' children.
Democracies recognize only one fundamental right: the right to
participate in the choosing of their rulers at a pre-determined time.
In contrast, in a republic, the role of government is strictly
limited to a few well-defined functions and the fundamental rights of
individuals are respected. A constitution limiting the authority of
central government and a Bill of Rights expressly forbidding the
federal government from abridging the fundamental rights of a people
are features of a republican form of government. Even a cursory reading
of the Federalist Papers and other works of the founders shows they
understood that obtaining the consent of 51 percent of the people does
not in any way legitimize government actions abridging individual
liberty.
Madam Speaker, the confusion over whether America is a democracy,
where citizens' rights may be violated if the consent of 51 percent of
the people may be obtained, or a republic, where the federal government
is forbidden to take any actions violating a people's fundamental
rights, is behind many of the flawed debates in this Congress. A
constitutionally literate Congress that understands the proper function
of a legislature in a constitutional republic would never even debate
whether or not to abridge the right of self-defense, instruct parents
how to raise and educate their children, send troops to intervene in
distant foreign quarrels that do not involve the security of the
country, or even deny entire classes of citizens the fundamental right
to life.
Secondly, it is not the proper role of the United States Congress to
dictate educational tenets to states and local governments. After all,
the United States Constitution does not give the federal government any
power to dictate, or even suggest, curriculum. Instead the power to
determine what is taught in schools is reserved to states, local
communities, and, above all, parents.
In conclusion, by mistaking this country's founding as being based on
mass democracy rather than on republican principles, and by ignoring
the constitutionally limited role of the federal government, this
resolution promotes misunderstanding about the type of government
necessary to protect liberty. Such constitutional illiteracy may be
more dangerous than historical ignorance, since the belief that America
was founded to be a democracy legitimizes the idea that Congress may
violate people's fundamental rights at will. I, therefore, encourage my
colleagues to embrace America's true heritage: a constitutional
republic with strict limitations on the power of the central
government.
Ms. SLAUGHTER. Madam Speaker, in 1988, National Endowment for the
Humanities issued a report concluding that more than 80 percent of
colleges and universities permitted students to graduate without taking
a course in American history. Now, thirteen years later, standards have
fallen even further with 78 percent of America's elite college and
universities not requiring their student to take any history course at
all. The results of this lackadaisical approach to learning and
understanding our own country's history is devastating.
In a survey conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni,
only 23 percent of the students surveyed correctly identified James
Madison as the ``Father of the Constitution'' while 54 percent
incorrectly identified Thomas Jefferson. Unfortunately, the final
results of the survey are equally embarrassing, with 65 percent of the
students receiving a 59 percent or an ``F'' grade. This is
unacceptable.
The poor performance of these students from America's top
universities and colleges should serve as a wake-up call to Members of
Congress that the academic quality of our history education programs is
deteriorating to the point of no return.
But rather than take steps to improve these horrendous statistics
with actual education reforms, the majority voted to slash teacher-
training and student loan programs and recently rejected my amendment
to moderately increase funding for the National Endowment for the
Humanities, one of the only agencies that strives to preserve our
nation's history through education.
I am a proud co-sponsor of S. Con. Res. 129 and I wholeheartedly
agree that Congress needs to eradicate the profound historical
illiteracy that currently plagues our nation's young people, but we can
do better than to pass a ``feel-good, do-nothing'' resolution.
Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Madam Speaker, I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. PETRI. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggert). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Petri) that the House
suspend the rules and concur in the Senate concurrent resolution, S.
Con. Res. 129.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the Senate concurrent resolution
was concurred in.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________