“Those who don’t know history are destined to repeat it” is one of the most oft-quoted aphorisms of Edmund Burke, an 18th-century Irish-born member of the British Parliament and fearless friend of liberty. Judging from the results of a recent survey conducted by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI), most of the 14,000 college students who participated sadly will be repeating history.

Considering that most of the 14,000 students who completed the exam (7,000 seniors and 7,000 freshmen) scored an F on the portion of the test covering basic American history and institutions, not only will they be repeating history, but with test scores like that, they’ll be repeating history class, as well.

ISI, a conservative non-profit educational organization, has recently published the results of this sweeping survey in a 32-page report entitled “The Shaping of the American Mind: The Diverging Influences of the College Degree and Civic Learning on American Beliefs.” Sit down before you read this report because the data will knock you off your feet. 

In 2007, ISI administered a 60-question test to 14,000 students at 50 colleges nationwide. The questions were designed to measure the students’ aptitude in four areas: basic American history, government, foreign affairs, and economics. In a companion study, in 2008 ISI administered a shorter exam (33 questions) to a random sample of 2,508 Americans without a college degree in order to have a standard level against which the impact of a college education on a threshold level of familiarity with basic American institutions could be determined.

Here are a few frightening figures certain to keep you up at night:

• 71% of Americans failed the civics knowledge test;
• 51% of Americans could not name the three branches of government;
• The average score for college seniors on the civics knowledge test was 54.2% (an “F” by any standard);
• The average student’s test score improved only 3.8 points from freshman to senior year;
• Freshmen at Cornell, Yale, Princeton, and Duke scored better than seniors on the civics knowledge test.
• 79% of elected officials that took the civics knowledge quiz did not know the Bill of Rights expressly prohibits the government from establishing a religion.
• 30% of office holders did not know that “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence.
• 27% of politicians could not name even one right or freedom guaranteed by the First Amendment.
• 43% did not know the purpose of the Electoral College.
• 39% of lawmakers believe the power of declaring war belongs to the president.
• The average score for college professors who took the civics knowledge quiz was 55%.

So, while our nation’s most elite colleges are not imbuing our children with a knowledge of our history and our government, the study makes it clear that those universities are becoming round the clock factories churning out poorly instructed liberals with little civic knowledge and even less faith and less devotion to principles of liberty than those Americans who didn’t go to college. 

It’s not just ignorance of the founding and the structure of government that is being fostered at these so-called institutions of higher learning. The classrooms are becoming hothouses of left-wing opinions, as well. For example, according to the findings published by ISI, college graduates are more likely than non-graduates to favor legalizing same-sex marriage and abortion on demand. By contrast, college graduates are less likely to believe that the Bible is the word of God and that hard work and perseverance can make the American Dream come true. 

Similarly, the study’s findings revealed that regardless of one’s formal education, one’s knowledge of basic American civics determined one’s faith in America and trust in the tenets of liberty upon which it was established. This shift is evident in the fact that non-college graduates who scored higher of the civics knowledge quiz than college graduates were less likely to believe that “America’s founding documents are obsolete.” Furthermore, the learned, though not college educated respondents are correspondingly less likely to agree that “the Ten Commandments are irrelevant” to the world today. 

This research is, according to the organization’s website, the fourth such study conducted by ISI in an attempt to scientifically measure the impact of a college education on civic knowledge and citizenship. Unremarkably, the results have not changed much over the years and once the numbers are crunched it is irrefutable that having a college education does almost nothing to buttress one’s overall knowledge of the fundamental history and composition of American government. 

In contrast, what a formal education at one of America’s university does so effectively, however, is engender doubt in the American way of life, incubate irreverence for the pillars of liberty upon which the nation was built, and perhaps most disturbingly, sap the faith in God and the institutions of religious worship. 

The various interesting findings of the study, including the questions asked and the results, as well as the scientific analysis thereof, can be found here. 

And, if you’re brave, test your own knowledge of America’s history, government, foreign policy, and economics by taking the quiz posted online here. Good luck! And remember, eyes on your own paper. Judging by the results of this study, many of you college graduates might be tempted to cheat!

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Bonnie said:

Rats! I took the quiz at http://www.americanciviclitera.../quiz.aspx. I got one wrong. It would be interesting to see what kind of scores the three stooges (Harry, Barry, and Nancy) would get. Reading about the results, it is interesting to note that the more liberal you are, the worse you score. Also, the higher education you achieve, the dumber you get. Says a lot for our school systems, doesn't it?

February 26, 2010

JJ Suprise said:

Yikes!! I missed 7 but I disagree with a couple of the answers, like#33 and #30. The others I missed I didn't know so I just made my best guess. I missed, 4,8,14,27,29,30,33 I also disagree with the answer on 29. Very interesting quiz.

February 27, 2010 | url

Jim D said:

... Interesting article--intend to administer the test to the history and government students in my high school classes. One popular misconception that the test and/or this article tend to perpetuate is that "the government" is prohibited from "an establishment of religion." The prohibition in the First amendment is on "Congress," the national legislative branch. Several of the individual States continued with some form or degree of "established" State churches for years after the ratification of the Bill of Rights. In both the study of the Constitution and in general discussions of "civic" matters, it is of utmost importance to distinguish between "Congress" and "government." Likewise, between "delegated" and "reserved"--the list could go on!

February 28, 2010

Jim D said:

... I checked the test. The actual wording of question #6 is not a problem. It is only in the article that "Congress" and "government" are, unfortunately, treated as synonyms. Other terms not synonymous with "government" under the U.S. Constitution include President, Supreme Court, Louis XIV, and "Czar."

February 28, 2010

W C Scenario said:

Misattribution Your leading quote is not attributed correctly. It is NOT from Edmund Burke. It is from George Santanyana, Vol 1 of "The Life of Reason."

February 28, 2010

John Blake said:

... Misattribution: You beat me to it. Santayana aside, this quote is not of Burke's late 18th Century.

February 28, 2010

Halvorson said:

... They're UNalienable rights!! What irony that a piece exposing ignorance would make this mistake.

March 01, 2010

L Collins said:

... No, it is inalienable...but those two words mean basically the same.

March 01, 2010

Determined said:

Civics Test I got 13 wrong.Scored 63.64%

March 01, 2010

Chris Reich said:

All leaders and candidtates should have such a test administered... ...to them, and their scores made public no later than the first Tuesday of October.

March 01, 2010 | url

Chris Reich said:

My score: 29/33 = 87.88% With one answer I would be willing to debate. I'm satisfied, but barely.

March 01, 2010 | url

Matthew D said:

No Big Surprise There As a high school social studies teacher, I have continued to see social studies de-emphasized in the curriculum in favor of math and science. In the state of Ohio, very soon there will be almost no testing in social studies to earn a diploma. We cannot be placing all this blame on "liberal colleges" no matter how much it might serve peoples' political agendas. Most universities only require one course in history for liberal arts majors, and not necessarily any for students in science, engineering, and education. The real fault lies in the lack of resources put into high school education.

March 01, 2010

Carol B. said:

Didn't do too bad I got an 87.88% but I have a problem with the answers to 29, 30 and 33. Otherwise I think the test is pretty interesting and its sad that more folks don't know their own countries history.

March 01, 2010

Earl N. said:

... I was somewhat pleased that I only missed 3 questions, being only a high school grad. Of course I've learned more in the 34 years since I graduated then I ever did in school. I'am also more interested in History and Government now than I ever was in school.

March 02, 2010

sg said:

6th grader My 6th grade son got 20 out of 33. ~61% Which I notice was better than the college prof. avg. of 55. Also, he didn't miss any of the ones listed in the bullet points like 1st amendment, electoral college, declaring war, etc.

March 07, 2010

OregonBev said:

... Of course Jim D is wrong about the wording of the 1st amendment. Amendment 1 - Freedom of Religion, Press, Expression. Ratified 12/15/1791. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof It has to say Congress...neither of the other two branches of government have the power to make law Matthew D needs to put more blame on the home where most young people get no start at all with civics. We has dinner table discussion on all manner of educational subjects when I was young......a practice I continued with my 4 children (a mind is a terrible thing to waste.

March 21, 2010