National Youth Administration (NYA) Photographs. National Archives Identifier 7350937
Pursuing Civic Literacy
Today’s post comes from the AOTUS blog, written by Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero
As the nation’s record keeper, the National Archives is responsible for making the records of the U.S. Government available to the public. These records—some famous but others quite ordinary—tell the nation’s story, document the actions of government officials over the years, and confirm the rights guaranteed to individuals. They are records that deserve preservation not simply for reference purposes but for use by all interested Americans to participate in the civic process. In short, they form a vital documentary bedrock of our democracy.
An informed citizenry is at the heart of what we do—rooted in the belief that citizens have the right to see, examine, and learn from the records that ensure their rights, hold their government accountable, and tell the story of the nation. However, without a fundamental level of civic literacy, the records that we preserve and make accessible will not be understood or used effectively by the citizens we serve.
I recently read some disheartening statistics about the state of civic literacy in the United States, strengthening my resolve to improve understanding of how the government works and citizen responsibility. According to the data from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, and Pew Research Center:
Nearly 2/3 of Americans cannot name all three branches of government. (Yet three in four people can name all Three Stooges.)
Only 29% of eligible Americans participated in the 2016 primary elections.
Less than half of the public can name a single Supreme Court Justice. And only 15% can correctly name John Roberts as Chief Justice. (Yet 2/3 of Americans know at least one of the American Idol judges.)
Nearly a quarter of young Americans think that a democratic form of government is very bad
Intentionally fabricated news stories involving the 2016 presidential candidates were shared 38 million times on social media.
Americans distrust the government at record levels and they also distrust their fellow citizens to participate in governance.
College bound young people (about half the youth population) are much more civically involved than their non-college bound peers. Rates of voting and volunteering are at least twice as high for those who attend college.
Students who are white get more high quality civic-learning opportunities
Nationwide, more than 1/3 of today’s high school seniors lack even basic civics knowledge and skills.
More than 1/4 of Americans do not know who America fought in the Revolutionary War
39% incorrectly stated that the Constitution gives the president the power to declare war.