FDR signing the law establishing Social Security. 

The memory is all but lost, even though the legacy is all around us. You meet it every time you set foot in a National Park, pay Social Security, or thank a World War II veteran; every time you spend a dime or see Mount Rushmore. The legacy of the Roosevelt family is an essential part of America’s story.

Before the names Kennedy and Bush were synonymous with American political dynasties, there were the Roosevelts. Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin
Roosevelt steered our nation through some of the most difficult times in our history. Eleanor Roosevelt became a figure of international prominence and public affection.

As Americans watched filmmaker Ken Burns’ latest documentary, “The Roosevelts: An Intimate History,” this past week, a new study suggests that, despite the family’s importance in our history, their legacies are being forgotten.

According to the study, only 60 percent of Americans surveyed know FDR was president during World War II, and less than half knew he was the president responsible for the New Deal.

The situation is similar for Theodore: just two in five Americans associated him with the Panama Canal. Only about a quarter could identify him with the Bull Moose Party — an especially lackluster result considering the survey was plain old multiple choice.

The results are disappointing, but they’re not new. Previous studies on historical amnesia have revealed that a quarter of Americans don’t know that D-Day occurred during World War II. Among Americans 18 to 34, that number grows to a chilling one-third....