Only 23% of Oklahoma High School Students know George Washington was the 1st President

[HamiltonHabs32]

Run time: 02:49 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOUUlEzhYV4   Posted on YouTube: September 17, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: September 17, 2009 By DU Member: HamiltonHabs32 Views on DU: 2482

 
More insane statistics from this poll, like only 43% know that the Democrats are a major political party...11% think they are the Communist Party. Full Survey here, http://bit.ly/George23

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[no_hypocrisy]

2. About 90% of ALL U.S. textbooks are written and approved in Texas.

Years ago, Mel and Norma Gabler dictated what went into them and they were awful as far as accuracy and information. Looks like not much as changed.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. Well, technically, maybe he wasn't (for trivia buffs) ...

In 1775 he was elected to the Provincial Legislature of Maryland. Then in 1777, he became a member of Congress where he distinguished himself as a brilliant administrator. Thus, he was elected President in 1781. Was John Hanson the first President of the United States?

The new country was actually formed on March 1, 1781 with the adoption of The Articles of Confederation. This document was actually proposed on June 11, 1776, but not agreed upon by Congress until November 15, 1777. Maryland refused to sign this document until Virginia and New York ceded their western lands (Maryland was afraid that these states would gain too much power in the new government from such large amounts of land). Once the signing took place in 1781, a President was needed to run the country. John Hanson was chosen unanimously by Congress (which included George Washington). In fact, all the other potential candidates refused to run against him, as he was a major player in the Revolution and an extremely influential member of Congress.
***
more: http://www.marshallhall.org/hanson.html

[pschoeb]

16. John Hansen was President of Congress, not the US

It was a mostly ceremonial position, and keeping order in Congress, it was a completely non-executive position. Presidents of Congress have actually existed since 1774, so he wasn't technically the first, that was Peyton Randolph. The offices are completely unrelated to the office of President of the United States. Also our country was formed in 1776 when the United States declared independence. So technically John Hancock was the first President of Congress of the United States that was officially independent from Britain.

[Tx4obama]

4. I posted this comment on another thread the other day...

The other day I saw the stupidest thing on C-Span

Some senator was on the floor speaking about passing a bill that would make it mandatory for teachers to teach about the U.S. Constitution to SENIORS IN HIGH SCHOOL.

I yelled: WHAT? at my TV.

YEARS ago when I was in school (in Illinois) we learned about the three branches of government, about the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights -- like in 7TH OR 8TH GRADE.

I can not believe that that senator would be dumb enough to think that teachers should wait until the LAST year of high school to teach these things.

I am sure a good percentage of the DUMB people in the USA dropped out of school and never made it to their senior year - so what that senator was proposing is not going to help with the problem we now have.

We need to teach ALL students in EVERY STATE civics in the 7th and 8th grades.

[svpadgham]

6. "We need to teach ALL students in EVERY STATE civics in the 7th and 8th grades"

And not have the coma inducing lady that I had as my Civics teacher. I'm sure she had a hand in making a generation of kids apathetic towards our government and its duties.

[Zookeeper]

9. She must have been MY Civics teacher in drag.

I never would have guessed that there was anything interesting about politics or government.

[Gman2]

14. If you are any indication, we should forbid learning civics. Then, they will study it.

[Zookeeper]

23. As the parent of three teens....

who are actually interested in politics due to the influence of my DH and me, I am acutely aware of the attraction of "forbidden fruit." So, your point is well-taken.

How about having the schools hold an assembly at the beginning of 6th grade, banning anything to do with politics or our system of government? ("Just say, 'NO!'") Maybe a film showing students jumping out of windows or trying to fly off of a roof after reading the editorial section of a newspaper? Detention for carrying a copy of our Bill of Rights?

I think we're on to something, here...

;-)

[ScottLand]

12. And of course if those students have Conservative

parents, their parents will be opposed to anyone encouraging them to stay in school those 12 years.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. THIS IS so silly. Ronald Reagan was the first president. Duh.

[Libertas1776]

7. I could have sworn

it was this guy.


At least, that is what an Okie high schooler told me.

[Czar One]

8. The Reddest State in the Country

I'm serious: Oklahoma was the one state of fifty where not a single district went for Obama last November!

[Douglas Carpenter]

10. that explains how a state can elect as their two U.S. Senators James Inhofe andTom Coburn

[Djinn]

11. not sure it's that important

The first Prez question that is, the Democrats one is worrying.

The American public education system seems overly obsessed with chronology and less with analysis. If these kids knew anything about the major themes/events of Washington's administration but not where he came in the line I wouldn't think that was a bad thing. Although I guess they're likely to know neither, but it's something I've noticed, Americans my age can reel off chronological list of every President but have little analysis of the themes of their Presidency whereas Australians my age are mostly hard pressed to name any PM before they started voting but have a much better grasp of the issues, ie they have zero clue who came before Whitlam or after him but know about the Dismissal.

[ScottLand]

13. I agree there should be at least a little of both

but the knowledge that George Washington was the "father of our country" is about as basic as it gets in American history.

[izquierdista]

19. Can't reason without facts

I would counter your argument by noting that in order to do analysis at all, you have to have a minimum of facts at your disposal. Some facts are so basic that they are what is called "common knowledge" or "common sense". And it is not like these people don't see George Washington every single day -- his face is on the dollar bill and his profile is on the quarter. You have to be as intellectually uncurious as George Bush to let that amount of information pass by unabsorbed. Ooops, I think I may have destroyed my point with that observation.

[axollot]

20. Being an Aussie/American myself - I can concur with what you are saying...

...but the office of the President and Washington especially is sort of burned on the psyche of Americans from Kindy. There really is no excuse for this and the people of OK would be the first to stand up and shout if an immigrant didn't know this information themselves.
cheers
Sandy

[struggle4progress]

15. I was excited to see that over 60% of the students knew the Atlantic Ocean was over on the Eastside

When I was that age, I probably thought it was somewhere near the Bronx

[JoePhilly]

17. Everyone know that it was Adam, and Eve was our first, first lady!

[Ishoutandscream2]

18. LOL! Okay, thanks for the that

I choked a little on my coffee. But well worth it, lol.

[jakeXT]

21. Why do 61% of them know where the Atlantic is? And they don't have an ocean in Oklahoma

[PerpetuallyDazed]

22. I challenge everyone to actually take the citizenship test...

If more people realized how difficult it actually is, (let alone for English speakers!) we'd have a greater appreciation for the folks who immigrate here. :)