The liberty
principle for this Freedom Friday is the simple fact that “knowledge of the
Constitution is essential for the welfare of our nation.” September 17th is Constitution Day.
This year marks 229 years since the Constitution was signed. Our freedoms are
in such danger today because too many Americans have not studied the
Constitution and the history of our great nation.
Alexis Zhang at The Daily Signal discusses this problem
in an article titled “The Shocking State of Americans’ Civic Illiteracy.” The author writes, “The Framers of our
Constitution recognized that a general understanding of the nation’s laws,
history, and government was central to the longevity of the republic. The
United States is, as Benjamin Franklin described, `a republic, if you can keep
it.’
“How is the republic kept? First
of all, by an informed citizenry. As Thomas Jefferson once declared, `It is
every American’s right and obligation to read and interpret the Constitution for
himself.’ …
“If knowledge of the
Constitution is essential for the welfare of our nation, then there is cause
for great concern.
“Recent survey data reveal a
distressing lack of knowledge of our constitutional history. When asked, even
given multiple choices, more than 70 percent of college graduates were unable
to identify James Madison as the Father of the Constitution. A majority did not
know the ratification process for proposed constitutional amendments.
Remarkably, 10 percent wrongly identified Judith Sheindlin – better known as
the TV personality Judge Judy – as a U.S. Supreme Court justice.”
According to Zhang, few colleges
and universities require courses in American history or government. Most of
them do not even “require a U.S. history course even of their history majors.”
This “crisis in historical
literacy” is particularly troubling because the rising generation will become
tomorrow’s leaders. Zhang, however, sees “some positive signs. State
policymakers have begun to recognize the crisis in historical literacy for what
it really is. In 2015, eight states enacted laws requiring high school students
to pass citizenship tests before they could graduate. Students must grasp
essential civic and constitutional concepts, such as term lengths and the
delineated powers of the three branches of government – the same basic
questions that college graduates struggle to answer.”
Even though states are taking
steps to strengthen “civic standards in elementary and secondary education,”
the institutions of higher learning must accept their “unique responsibility to
foster a deeper understanding of our Constitution, laws, and history. Colleges
and universities have the singular capacity to offer students rigorous,
in-depth instruction in history, political science, and the humanities just as
they take their first steps into citizenship and the workforce.”
The simple fact remains that
parents and leaders cannot rely on educational systems and institutions to
teach civics to rising generation. Parents must assume the task of teaching
civics to their children and of accepting their personal responsibility to
protect and preserve the Constitution. I suggest that my readers commemorate this
Constitution Day by starting a family study group to learn about the
Constitution, the laws, and the history of the United States!
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