When it comes to knowing about their country and its system of government, many native-born American citizens know less than an immigrant who has just become a naturalized citizen. Never mind the accent and the lack of a family tree that shows ancestors going back to the Revolutionary War, that newly minted citizen can run circles around many Americans when it comes to knowing simple facts about American history and government.
It’s embarrassing that only about one out of three Americans know the three branches of government in our country. (They are executive, legislative and judicial, by the way). Basic knowledge about how our country was formed and how its government works lays the foundation for being a good citizen. That is why immigrants seeking to become a U.S. citizen are required to demonstrate working knowledge of U.S. civics.
Three former South Carolina governors joined a number of statewide business leaders last month in announcing the South Carolina Civics Education Initiative. This is a forward-thinking plan that seeks to ensure high school students know at least as much about U.S. civics as an immigrant who just became a naturalized citizen.
“I think civics education is extremely important to all of us,” former Gov. Dick Riley, who also served as U.S. Secretary of Education for President Bill Clinton, said in a conference call with reporters and editors. “We need to move it up in terms of importance.” Former governors Jim Hodges and James Edwards also are part of this effort that includes business leaders such Bill Dukes of Columbia, Karen Iacovelli of Greenville and Buck Limehouse of Charleston.
The S.C. Civics Initiative is part of a larger nationwide effort that has the worthy goal of making sure high school students have a working knowledge of civics when they graduate. A question that begs for a better answer than has been presented is why has civics fallen off the list of priorities for high school students. Answers that have been presented — such as schools have shifted their focus more toward science and math, or learning about civics comes too early in the high school experience for students to retain the information — just don’t cut it. Excuses aside, students certainly need to know more.
As Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, said in a press release last month, “The nation should be troubled by the extent to which civic education is downplayed in its schools.” Indeed, she is correct. The Annenberg Public Policy Center produced the survey that asked the important question, “How well do Americans understand the Constitution?”. The inadequate answer is information is sorely lacking.
Seven states launched initiatives last month on the anniversary of the U.S. Constitution to urge improvement in the knowledge Americans have about their country and government. South Carolina is one of those states, along with Arizona, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Missouri, South Dakota and Utah.
Supporters of this civics initiatives want high school students to take the same test that immigrants must take as part of their requirements for becoming a naturalized citizen. The country’s Citizenship Civics test has 100 basic questions, and a person seeking citizenship has to answer correctly at least six of the 10 questions chosen by an examiner from that list.
Some of the questions are about the Constitution, Declaration of Independence or basic geography of the country. Others are related to current information about who is the country’s president or what is the capital of a person’s state.
In South Carolina students would be able to earn extra credit for their final high school grade point average if they answered at least 60 of the 100 questions correctly. Although all of the details have not been worked out, the organizers of the state effort expect to have legislation introduced next year. The test is already established so the expenses associated with this effort would be minimal, according to Chip Felkel, a Greenville political consultant who is helping with the project.
The Civics Education Initiative is an affiliate of the Joe Foss Institute that was founded to educate American youth about our country’s unique freedoms and encourage them to enter public service. Foss, a former governor of South Dakota, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Initiative’s board includes such respected Americans as former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, actor Joe Mantegna and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Carl Bernstein.
Citizenship for most Americans is a birthright, as it should be. But citizens who have an exceptionally limited understanding of U.S. history and government will be challenged to fulfill the essential responsibilities that come with citizenship. Increasing fundamental knowledge about American history and government should be encouraged in South Carolina as well as 49 more states.