Knowing History and Who We Are

I almost hesitate to use the above title for this post, as it draws heavily and blatantly from this post by Scott Johnson on Powerline. For that matter, I'm borrowing heavily and blatantly from his whole post. But the title is clearly apt, and it hits me in the sweet spot of interest and passion. Rarely a week goes by that I don't wish I had the latitude to pursue further education in the subject of History.

Powerline reports on a newly released study by a relatively new organization called The American Revolution Center. The ARC has a neat website complete with an interactive timeline that allows you to also view some of the artifacts within its collection. But of more interest to me is the nationwide survey they conducted to assess the knowledge people possess about the American Revolution and the founding of this country. I have downloaded the final report, and perhaps I'll post more on the topic as I study it. From what I've read of it so far, it is fair to say (using the contemporary colloquialism) that I'm "geeked" about it.

From Powerline (emphasis mine):

"The survey results show that a whopping 83 percent of Americans failed a basic test on knowledge of the American Revolution and its principles. But the results also revealed that 90 percent of Americans think that knowledge of the American Revolution and its principles is very important.

Among other things, the results also show that 89 percent of Americans expected to pass a test on basic knowledge of the American Revolution. We do not suffer for lack of self-esteem. But we do suffer for lack of knowledge."

I believe that much of the confusion, concern and attitudes afflicting American politics today are caused in great part by the apparent reality that much of the American populace lacks sufficient understanding and grounding in the principles that undergird the American Experiment. Powerline also quotes author David McCullough (emphasis mine):

"In the rotunda of the Capitol in Washington hangs John Trumbull's great painting, "The Declaration of Independence, Fourth of July, 1776." It's been seen by more people than any other American painting. It's our best known scene from our past. And almost nothing about it is accurate. The Declaration of Independence wasn't signed on July 4th. They didn't start to sign the Declaration until August 2nd, and only a part of the Congress was then present. They kept coming back in the months that followed from their distant states to take their turn signing the document. The chairs are wrong, the doors are in the wrong place, there were no heavy draperies at the windows, and the display of military flags and banners on the back wall is strictly a figment of Trumbull's imagination. But what is accurate about it are the faces. Every single one of the 47 men in that painting is an identifiable, and thus accountable, individual. We know what they look like. We know who they were. And that's what Trumbull wanted. He wanted us to know them and, by God, not to forget them. Because this momentous step wasn't a paper being handed down by a potentate or a king or a czar, it was the decision of a Congress acting freely."

As Scott Johnson further notes (emphasis mine):

"And yet, McCullough observes: "We are raising a generation of young Americans who are by-and-large historically illiterate." We do not know the names or faces of most of those 47 men."

Perhaps the greatest thing that every American can do for their country is to uphold the principles upon which it was founded. We must understand the value and function of freedom, and preserve it not only by a willingness to defend it (to which the sacrifice of our military men and women attest), but to be educated and knowledgable about our national heritage. I fear it is a sad indictment when our generation can more readily recite the discography of Michael Jackson than they can the essentials of the Bill of Rights. Still, the opportunity - and indeed, responsibility - to educate is there, and kudos to outfits like The American Revolution Center for working to do just that.