On the 2006 National Assessment of Educational Progress Civics Test," the report notes, "the majority of eighth graders could not explain the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. Only 5 percent of seniors could accurately describe the way presidential power can be checked by Congress and the Supreme Court."
If they don't understand the checks and balances the Founding Fathers devised to keep the President, Congress and the Supreme Court in check America may be headed for serious trouble in the years ahead. The author of "Kids may be short on history, but they get the fundamentals" goes on to say.
I have not worried about the fundamental commitment of the American people since 1974. In that year, they were confronted with the stunning evidence that their president had conducted a criminal conspiracy out of the Oval Office. In response, the American people reminded Richard Nixon, the man they had just recently overwhelmingly re-elected to a second term, that in this country, no one, not even the president, is above the law. And they required him to yield his office.
That was 34 years ago. I wonder if today's generation inured by countless scandals would turn a blind eye to a popular President's wrong doing. After all we don't seem to be holding an unpopular President accountable for his actions.
"Kids may be short on history, but they get the fundamentals" , I am not so sure they do.
Interesting.
ReplyDeleteI think a major player in this situation is the Media. My wife wrote a great paper on how the Media tore into Nixon, and ignored other presidents they loved who also did illegal things. And so, since most of the information we get about a situation comes from the Media, if they don't report the evils of something, how are we to respond?
I think people are just as committed today, we're just less and less well informed about the true issues of a situation. And, to make it worse, we see how warped and twisted the truth can get, which makes us distrust anything. And so we fail to act, fearing that we may make the wrong choice based on biased information.
Or maybe it's just me. [smile]
~Luke
Yet another reason to homeschool. I'm using History at Our House and there is no doubt my kids will get history.
ReplyDeleteThe mason may be short on bricks and mortar but he'll build the foundation.
ReplyDeleteYeah right. That'll work.
I think our society has been so consumed by consumerism in recent years that nothing else can get the attention of the common man. But that is changing....I'm thinking this economic eye-opening will help people get their priorities straight. They'll have time to do so, because most will no longer be able to spend all their waking hours shopping til they drop!
ReplyDelete