The findings: A Cato Institute poll of over 2,000 U.S. adults conducted last month found 86% are grateful to be American, yet 46% don't know the 250th anniversary commemorates the Declaration of Independence. Nearly 60% cannot identify the Constitution's main purpose as limiting government power, with Gen Z showing the lowest civic knowledge and least favorable views of founders.
Why it matters: More than half of Americans fear the U.S. could cease to be a free country within 50 years, with both Republicans and Democrats citing corruption and abuse of power as primary threats. This widespread anxiety, combined with low civic knowledge, could significantly impact civic engagement and public debate as the nation approaches its 250th anniversary.

https://ground.news/daily-brie...f-july-is-about-poll

I find that easy to believe. Is civics even taught anymore? I honestly don't recall having a specific civics course, though I do remember learning US History and how the gov't is structured. I think it was in junior high school.

It should be mandatory, and probably in high school so it's fresh in the mind when they hit voting age.

It was mandatory when I was in school. All students were required to pass history as Juniors and civics as Seniors.

In the mid 1970's it was mandatory in our public school. As I recall, the bicentennial was a big deal both in high school and in society in general. A much bigger deal than this 250th has been. I don't recall any negative propaganda trying to ruin the celebrations.

My high school girlfriend and I were part of a youth group that dressed in authentic clothing for the big parade in town. I wore a WW1 army veteran's dress woolen uniform which he still had. My dad and I went to his apartment and had a long conversation. I was the only kid in the group skinny enough to fit into it.

It was a very hot day for the parade, and the wool was very uncomfortable.

My girlfriend was wearing an antique dress from the 1800's. By the end of the parade the stitching was failing and the dress was coming apart on her. Fun times!

Find it a sad sign of the times. The government education program is pathetic. However, the parents are no longer involved in teaching their kids. Anything; they leave it at 100% up to the government schools. I made an appoint my children were 10 years old to explain to them the events of the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, WW1 WWII, Korea an Nam.

The blame is easy to place. Public education. Which is an oxymoron.

We had to take Civics in school - Junior high and grade school. But then amazingly it morphed into something called ‘Social Studies’ and Civics was lost.

Teachers blame the parents. One utube vid had a teacher claiming she gets three 18 year old freshman yearly that can't read or spell. Parents complain to the Principal if they are not given A grades. Principal caves

I am sure it is all by design. Now they are all calling for more tax money for the schools

quote:

Originally posted by oldbill123:
Now they are all calling for more tax money for the schools

That's always the answer with the commies - throw more money at the problem. That's sure to fix it.

We have the highest per student spending in the industrialized world, and have the lowest results in the same group.

Clearly it can’t be the money. It has to be the teachers. Some of it is the students but they’re not going to learn if they’re not motivated and challenged.

quote:

Some of it is the students but they’re not going to learn if they’re not motivated and challenged.

Which also brings in the parenting (or lack thereof), and the involvement of those parents in their local school districts.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInAR:
I find that easy to believe. Is civics even taught anymore? I honestly don't recall having a specific civics course, though I do remember learning US History and how the gov't is structured. I think it was in junior high school.

It should be mandatory, and probably in high school so it's fresh in the mind when they hit voting age.

One guy who has dedicated a big part of his life to getting civics back as a part of national learning is actor Richard Dreyfuss.

quote:

with Gen Z showing the lowest civic knowledge and least favorable views of founders.

Big surprise there

quote:

Originally posted by Fly-Sig:
In the mid 1970's it was mandatory in our public school. As I recall, the bicentennial was a big deal both in high school and in society in general. A much bigger deal than this 250th has been. I don't recall any negative propaganda trying to ruin the celebrations.

In fourth grade in 1976, my class had a patriotic art contest. I drew a childish cartoon illustration of George Washington attacking the Hessians at Trenton on Christmas morning after crossing the Delaware. There was blood and dead Germans all over the page; I remember spending lots of time on one Hessian falling after getting shot and another being bayoneted by a patriot soldier. The teachers loved it, I won a little prize, and a few months later found myself getting a certificate of achievement and shaking hands for a photo with my local congressman. This was in California, no less. I think if a kid in that same school drew a picture like that today, they would assign him to a psychologist and maybe call the police.

it has to be the teachers.¨

Perhaps, but I blame School Boards, Universities and Management. DEI originated at the Uní level, then manifested itself in K-12 and above education!

As early as the 60´s, schools were becoming contaminated. My mother was an Elementary teacher, awarded State Teacher of the Year for her efforts.

A young 9 year old student of color rejected her instructions and told he to “Go F herself”!

She took the student to the Principal - was told that there was nothing that could be done to discipline the minority child due to recent regulations… my mother retired the next week!

So, the problem has been festering for decades, the 45% are the result of DEI!

Would it help, perhaps, if the holiday were more commonly referred to by its proper name, i.e., “Independence Day,” rather than the “4th of July”? Sort of like the difference between the “25th of December” and that other name.

I get a lot of email advertisements for sales or remembrances for the day, and not more than 20% (if that many) refer to it as Independence Day.

quote:

Originally posted by Prefontaine:

quote:

with Gen Z showing the lowest civic knowledge and least favorable views of founders.

Big surprise there

I know a number of 20 somethings, my son included, who know more about civics, the Constitution, how govt. works as far as the branches, etc, than many boomers I knew/know. But the Gen Z kids are clear thinking conservatives and the dumb shit clueless boomers are commie Democrats.

I was born in 1946 and presumably that makes me a boomer. It’s impossible for me to remember exactly what I was taught in high school about American history because I’ve read so many other books about the subject since. I do know, though, that almost anyone about my age would have been taught something about the basics. Whether anyone remembers what they were taught, though, is another question. If someone never gave the subject a moment’s thought after the last test that touched on it, then I wouldn’t be surprised if it had long since disappeared into the black hole of forgotten memories.

I’ve seen people actually brag that they never used algebra (or, mirabile dictu! trigonometry) after their last test on the subject, and my response is if they never really learned it beyond what was necessary to make it out of high school, they obviously would not have used it anytime thereafter. On the other hand, I use both relatively frequently in my daily life, and not as some sort of mathematical or engineering professional.

And all that reminds me I need to continue rereading The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution 1763-1798 by Robert Middlekauff, an excellent book about the subject.

A good article on the teachers union the NEA is here:

[URL= [/URL]]How socialists use teachers unions to destroy education.

I can't remember which year it was but the NEA had the Cloward & Piven Strategy on their "Suggested Summer Reading" list.

I don’t know if it’s actually true, but the fact that the statistic which is somewhat close to, “17% of adults think chocolate milk comes from brown cows” means I don’t doubt much when it comes to stupidity.

If you want to know how dumb we are, just be a boot camp instructor to kids.

“Can you read this letter, it’s in cursive and I can’t read cursive”.

“How come my letter didn’t get delivered?”. No address, just labeled, “Grandma”.

“I wanna go home, I don’t like this”. Ummmm, contracts don’t work that way.

“I’m 29, I’ve never had a job, I wanted to better myself”. I know after 2 hours meeting you why you’ve never had a job.

“I shit in the shower because I didn’t want to get the floor wet going to the commode”.

There are many other instances I should start writing down.

quote:

Originally posted by AllenInAR:
Is civics even taught anymore?

Depending on what school you go to.
Civics in some, indoctrination on others.