Test: More than half of Americans — 55 percent –attributed a famous KarlMarx quote, one of the philosophical cornerstones of Communism, toBarack Obama, George Washington or Thomas Paine.
More Americans know about television’s Gosselin family (“Jon& Kate Plus Eight”) than know who the first chief justice of theUnited States was. Likewise, knowledge about pop culture trivia trumpsknowledge about “Father of the Constitution.”
The findings are part of a new report issuedby the Libertarian Lexington Institute that says teaching U.S.history in schools has been de-emphasized — with “appalling results.”
The report, called “The Teaching of American History: Promise andPerformance,” points to data from a December survey conducted by thenonprofit American Revolution Center (ARC),which showed a full 60 percent of Americans know how many childrenreality TV stars Jon and Kate Gosselin have — eight — but only 11percent could identify John Jay as the first chief justice of the U.S.Supreme Court.[snip]
Multi-Culturalism and the Legacy of the ‘60s and ‘70s
Holland identified the ’60’s and ’70s as the era when studying“traditional American history” began to decline, as focus shifted fromthe Founders and stewards of government and other institutions topreviously ignored groups like “women, racial/ethnic minorities, andimmigrants.”
“Whatever might be said for or against a broadening of the study ofhistory, there is no doubt that the sharp switch led to declines inknowledge of the founding of the American republic, its enduringprinciples, and its accomplishments,” he wrote.
Don Soifer, executive vice president at Lexington and coordinator ofits education department, said the emphasis on “radicalmulticulturalism” is one that “has become increasingly prevalent inmany education schools in the country.”