If you ask your children, or grandchildren, to tell you the meaning of the Fourth of July -- what will they tell you? If you tell them it was the American War of Independence -- will they know who we fought for our independence? According to this report; most of them cannot answer either question.
On the PBS NewsHour show last night with news anchor, Judy Woodruff, during the Political Wrap session, a weekly session of political analysis with syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks -- they discussed an alarming fact about the American education system today.
The following is a transcript of that portion of the show which really caught my attention -- 25% of Americans polled (40% of those 19-29 years old) -- DID NOT know who American fought to win our Independence. Tomorrow is our Independence Day, July 4th -- and one fourth to almost one half of Americans do now know what we really celebrate:
JUDY WOODRUFF: Speaking of the Fourth of July, a poll I noticed today -- Marist College in New York did a poll which showed that a fourth of Americans, when you ask them from what country did the United States win its independence, one-fourth of Americans said they weren't sure or they didn't know. And 40 percent of 18-to-29-year-olds in this country said they didn't know or weren't sure.
What does that say?
DAVID BROOKS: Yes. I think it is an insult to Abraham Lincoln's leadership of the Revolutionary War. (He was making a joke!)
DAVID BROOKS: No. To me, the substance of it is that we have traded history for social studies in schools, that we don't do the ABCs, here is what happened when.
And I notice this when I talk to kids, including sometimes my own kids. They just don't get the dates. They don't get the dates. They don't have the scaffolding of history. And they do a lot more social structure. They do cultures. They do this. They do that.
But they don't have the basic -- the facts and lineage of what happened when. And, so, those basic facts if, you don't have the scaffolding, you are not going to remember. You're not going to know how to organize it and put it all together into some sort of theory.
MARK SHIELDS: We're a lot more sensitive, but we're a lot less informed.
What is rather terrifying is the figure you cited about 40 percent of the people under the age of 29. And 80 percent, close to, over -- those over 45 do know. There was something going on in schools. The people, the older people are less likely to have gone to college than are the younger ones.
And the idea that somebody is going through college and graduating and not knowing a fundamental fact like that is terrifying and it's depressing. And...
JUDY WOODRUFF: I mean, when I saw the poll, I looked at it and looked at it again, and checked the validity, checked it with another pollster, and they said, these are real numbers.
MARK SHIELDS: Yes. It's not good news.
Now, contrast that with Naturalized Americans -- those who are born in another country, then immigrate to America -- and, on a very proud day years later; become American Citizens! I am proud to say my wife is one of these Naturalized American Citizens.
But, they do not just raise their hands, swear allegiance, and then are handed a certificate. No, they have to pass a test to become an American Citizen. I wonder, if we who were so fortunate to be born in America -- if we had to take this same test to affirm and keep our American Citizenship; how many could pass the test?
A major part of that test is about American History and the American Government. Right now, I am looking at one of the books my wife, Dory, had to study for her citizenship. The title is "Our American Government" -- not a pamphlet; no, this book is a text book, one inch thick.
We have to take our hats off to the Naturalized American Citizens -- for they most likely know more about America, our history and our government, than most young Americans who have graduated from college in the last few decades.
As news anchor, Judy Woodruff, asks us, "What does that say?" Yes, what does that say about the American Education System? It tells me that we have traded our American Heritage, our American History -- for a Liberal Social Agenda.
This tells me that we in America are "dumbing down" our young people and getting them into "lock step" with a Liberal Socialist Agenda. We have begun to emulate China as we systematically "dumb down" the American citizenry.
Wake up! America! It is time for a rebirth of the America which was born on July 4th, 1776!
Our Pledge of Allegiance tells us:
True, the phrase
As chairman a committee of state superintendents of education in the National Education Association, he prepared the program for the public schools' quadricentennial celebration for Columbus Day in 1892. He structured this public school program around a flag raising ceremony and a flag salute, for which he wrote his "Pledge of Allegiance."
But, being a Christian who was also a Socialist; he left God out of the picture. In 1891, he was pressured into leaving his church because of his socialist sermons.
However, praise God, our national leaders in Congress were led, in 1954, to acknowledge what God has done in raising up America as a freedom loving nation and a beacon to oppressed people from around the world.
Yes, we have had our dark moments, such as that shadow cast upon our nation by the institution of slavery. That is a sign of our human weaknesses; while still serving under our omnipotent God. Being a Christian nation, we eventually drove that institution of darkness, slavery followed by segregation -- out of our American society.
But, unfortunately, in 1963, our Supreme Court also evicted God from much of America. In 1963, the Supreme Court held hands with the ACLU in evicting God from our schools -- and progressively, systematically, the ACLU has been working to evict God and the Ten Commandments from all aspects of the American society.
Maybe, if our Pledge of Allegiance had included God back in 1892 -- the Supreme Court emboldened ACLU attacks upon our Christian heritage and God would not be occurring.
Continue to pray for our nation, for our Christian American society, and for our American leaders. But, remember all of this when you vote in November.
God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,
Bill Gray
