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How Much U.S. History Do Americans Actually Know? Less Than You Think.

Last year, PoliTech, a student group at Texas Tech University went around campus and asked three questions: "Who won the Civil War?", "Who is our vice president?" and "Who did we gain our independence from?" Students' answers ranged from "the South?" for the first question to "I have no idea" for all three of them. However, when asked about the show Snookie starred in ("Jersey Shore") or Brad Pitt's marriage history, they answered correctly.

This lack of knowledge in American history is not limited to college students. Studies over the years show Americans of all ages fail to answer the most simple of questions. A 2008 study by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which surveyed more than 2,500 Americans, found that only half of adults in the country could name the three branches of government. The 2014 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report found that only 18 percent of 8th graders were proficient or above in U.S. History and only 23 percent in Civics. 

To help address this problem, David Bruce Smith, an American author and editor, founded the Grateful American Foundation in 2014. The interactive educational series aims to restore a passion for history in kids and adults. We interviewed Smith over e-mail about his program and his thoughts on how teachers can make American history enjoyable to learn. 

How did you develop a passion for American History? 

I was born loving history. When I was a little boy, my grandfather said I should read biographies—especially about the great people like Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin; he believed that knowledge would flow into my young mind, and pool into a reservoir of wisdom that I would be able to tap in the future. It was good advice. My mother was also a bibliophile. She kept me "supplied" with the books: about everyone from Madame Curie and Winston Churchill to Catherine the Great and Joseph Lister.


Read entire article at Smithsonian