Survey reveals gaps in basic U.S. history knowledge among college students, many of whom struggle to identify the Fathers of the Constitution.
a investigation A survey conducted by the American Council of Colleges and Graduates (ACTA) has revealed that American college students lack knowledge about basic American history and government. The survey, titled “America's Memory Loss,” involved over 3,000 college students and revealed major gaps in understanding basic civic concepts.
U.S. college students can't name father of Constitution, shocking gap in civics knowledge: study https://t.co/UnwdUdy0nj pic.twitter.com/auCjshoULq
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The results of the survey, conducted by College Pulse in May-June 2024, serve as a wake-up call for educational institutions across the nation. According to a press release, only 31% of students recognized James Madison as the father of the United States Constitution, and only 27% correctly identified Kamala Harris as the President of the United States Senate. The survey also revealed that 60% of respondents did not know the term lengths of U.S. Congress members.
Even more concerning is the lack of awareness of important historical documents and figures: Only 23% knew that the phrase “government of the people, by the people, for the people” was a quote from the Gettysburg Address, and only 28% recognized that the law that abolished slavery was the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, according to the report.
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 14: A group walks by Sather Tower on the University of California, Berkeley campus on March 14, 2022 in Berkeley, California. UC Berkeley plans to cut its fall semester enrollment by at least 2,500 students due to a severe shortage of affordable housing. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Bradley Jackson, ACTA's vice president of policy, expressed concern about the survey results. “As these results show, today's students are unfortunately not prepared to participate in our democratic republic,” Bradley said in a news release. “Our form of government requires citizens who understand its nature and history. It should be impossible to earn an undergraduate degree without learning the fundamentals of American history and government, yet this has become the norm on our college campuses.” (Related: Majority of colleges now link diversity, equity and inclusion to graduation requirements: report)
“The survey's devastating results demonstrate that today's students and recent college graduates know little about America's past and its core principles and values, and therefore have no guidance on navigating the fierce debates we face today or on defending and protecting the free institutions that are the glory of our nation and an inspiration to the world,” said ACTA President Michael Poliakoff.
