AMERICANS DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT HISTORY

Reinforcing what we all know to be true, the Woodrow “Woody” Wilson National Fellowship Foundation surveyed 41,000 Americans in all 50 states and Washington, DC, with the results showing that only 27 percent of those under the age of 45 had a basic knowledge of American history. Using 20 questions taken directly from U.S. citizenship tests, only four in 10 Americans passed the exam.
– At the top of the list – with the most knowledge of American history – Vermont, Wyoming, South Dakota, Montana and Virginia.
– At the bottom Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, which had just a 27 percent pass rate.
* That’s great. Who’s Woodrow Wilson?
* Was he one of the Beach Boy brothers – Brian, Dennis, Carl and Woodrow Wilson?
* We have 50 states? Seriously? That’s a lot! How do they all fit?
* Didn’t Jay Leno already prove this with those on-the-street interviews?

Here’s the test:
1. There were 13 original states. Please select the option that names 3 of them.
a. Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine
b. New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire (CORRECT ANSWER)
c. New Hampshire, West Virginia, Virginia
d. Rhode Island, Florida, Georgia

2. Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
a. James Madison
b. Thomas Jefferson (CORRECT ANSWER)
c. Abraham Lincoln
d. George Washington

3. What territory did the United States buy from France in 1803?
a. Louisiana (CORRECT ANSWER)
b. Alaska
c. Hawaii
d. Puerto Rico

4. When was the Constitution written?
a. 1790
b. 1776
c. 1787 (CORRECT ANSWER)
d. 1789

5. Which of the following wars was fought by the United States in the 1800’s?
a. Mexican-American War (CORRECT ANSWER)
b. World War II
c. World War I
d. Korean War

6. What did Susan B. Anthony do?
a. Founded the Red Cross
b. Made the first flag of the United States
c. Fought for women’s rights (CORRECT ANSWER)
d. Was the first woman elected to the House of Representatives
* e. She knows what she did.

7. Before he became President, Dwight Eisenhower was a general. What war did he fight in?
a. Vietnam War 1
b. World War II (CORRECT ANSWER)
c. Civil War
d. Spanish-American War

8. Who did the United States fight in World War II?
a. Japan, China, and Vietnam
b. The Soviet Union, Germany, and Italy
c. Japan, Germany, and Italy (CORRECT ANSWER)
d. Austria-Hungary, Japan, and Germany

9. What is one right or freedom given by the First Amendment?
a. Landownership
b. Speech (CORRECT ANSWER)
c. Life
d. Bear arms

10. Why did the colonists fight the British?
a. Because the British Army stayed in their houses (CORRECT ANSWER)
b. To free the African slaves
c. To help native Indians to get freedom
d. Because of financial crisis

11. Who was President during World War I?
a. Woodrow Wilson (CORRECT ANSWER)
b. Franklin Roosevelt
c. Herbert Hoover
d. Abraham Lincoln

12. What is one thing Benjamin Franklin is famous for?
a. Invented the light bulb
b. Started the first universities
c. Published the code of the U.S. Constitution
d. He was a U.S. Diplomat (CORRECT ANSWER)

13. There are four amendments to the Constitution on who is able to vote in U.S. elections. Which of the following describes one of these amendments?
a. Citizens by birth only can vote
b. Citizens 18 years of age and older can vote (CORRECT ANSWER)
c. Only citizens with a job can vote
d. Citizens 17 years of age and older can vote

14. Who was President during the Great Depression and World War II?
a. Franklin Roosevelt (CORRECT ANSWER)
b. Woodrow Wilson
c. Abraham Lincoln
d. George W. Bush
* Look how the Woodrow Wilson foundation subtly blames the Depression on Roosevelt!

15. Who said, “Give me liberty or give me death?
a. George Washington
b. Benjamin Franklin
c. Thomas Jefferson
d. Patrick Henry (CORRECT ANSWER)

16. Who is not a writer of the Federalist Papers?
a. James Madison
b. Alexander Hamilton
c. Thomas Jefferson (CORRECT ANSWER)
d. Publius

17. How many amendments does the U.S. Constitution have?
a. 27 (CORRECT ANSWER)
b. 26
c. 30
d. 24

18. During the Cold War, what was the main concern of the United States?
a. Climate change
b. Communism (CORRECT ANSWER)
c. Slavery
d. The Great Depression

19. How many Justices are on the U.S. Supreme Court?
a. 12
b. 9 (CORRECT ANSWER)
c. 10
d. 11

20.Which of the following is a U.S. territory?
a. Bermuda
b. Haiti
c. Cayman Islands
d. Guam (CORRECT ANSWER)