US History and Public Knowledge: Bad, Getting Worse

Glenn Ricketts

As I wrote recently here, knowledge of American history is increasingly unfamiliar to Americans at all levels of the educational process, from K-12 to graduates of top-tier colleges and universities. The things that we don't know about our own past are simply jaw-dropping. Why aren't these core elements known to the public? Apparently, because they aren't taught. They aren't taught, I assume, because educators don't think they're worth knowing. As I noted, my parents and grandparents, most of them not college graduates, had a decent grip on the basics of the history and political institutions of the country in which they lived. But as we get younger, our historical acquaintance with those seminal aspects of the national experience seems to shrink drastically. Have a look at the results of this Marist poll, then take two aspirin.

Special thanks to our regular columnist Jason Fertig for providing the link.

  • Share

Most Commented

September 6, 2024

1.

Professor Alleges "Widespread" Discriminatory Hiring Coverup at University of Washington

Audio acquired by the National Association of Scholars describes allegations of coverup race-based hiring coverup at the University of Washington...

October 29, 2024

2.

The Looming Irrelevance of Middle East Study Centers

Today’s Middle Eastern Studies Centers are facing a crisis due to the winds of change in the Middle East and their own ideological echo chamber....

September 25, 2024

3.

NAS Statement on University of Pennsylvania Sanction of Amy Wax

The National Association of Scholars is outraged—but not surprised—by Penn's decision to penalize Wax for exercising her academic freedom. ...

Most Read

May 15, 2015

1.

Where Did We Get the Idea That Only White People Can Be Racist?

A look at the double standard that has arisen regarding racism, illustrated recently by the reaction to a black professor's biased comments on Twitter....

October 12, 2010

2.

Ask a Scholar: What is the True Definition of Latino?

What does it mean to be Latino? Are only Latin American people Latino, or does the term apply to anyone whose language derived from Latin?...

September 21, 2010

3.

Ask a Scholar: What Does YHWH Elohim Mean?

A reader asks, "If Elohim refers to multiple 'gods,' then Yhwh Elohim really means Lord of Gods...the one of many, right?" A Hebrew expert answers....