We are what we teach," so reads an alternative title to Colleen Carroll Campbell's reflections on the state of our nation today. Campbell, associated with the Ethics and Public Policy Center, writes of "our increasingly tenuous grasp of the ideals that define us as Americans." Consider:
The 2006 National Assessment of Educational
Progress Civics Test found that most American eighth graders could not
explain the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. Only five
percent of high school seniors could describe how presidential power is
limited by Congress and the Supreme Court. [Pretty shocking!!] College students
did not fare much better: A study by the American Council of Trustees
and Alumni and the University of Connecticut's Center for Survey
Research and Analysis found 99 percent of seniors in top-ranked schools
could identify Beavis and Butthead, but most did not know the purpose
of the Emancipation Proclamation. [Unbelievable!]
Such ignorance poses serious
dangers. As a nation founded on shared ideals rather than ethnic ties,
our democracy's survival depends on each new crop of citizens
understanding and assimilating our commitment to freedom, equality and
the rule of law. A generation of "world citizens" who do not know the
story of America's founding or the origins of American ideals cannot
effectively serve their nation. Students and immigrants schooled only
in America's flaws and divisions cannot convince fellow citizens to
correct injustices if they lack the shared values and common moral
language that have allowed previous generations to do the same. [my underlining throughout]
Ms. Campbell is the author of The New Faithful: Why Young Adults Are Embracing Christian Orthodoxy (Loyola Press, 2002), which explores the appeal of traditional religion and morality to a growing number of young Americans. I'm impressed with her bio. Her website is here.