I beat out the average Harvard Senior!

Americans knowledge of American History is dismal at best.

In fact, on this quiz, put together by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, the average Harvard senior scored 69.6%. I scored 90%. Of course, I love history and I can honestly say that most of what I knew to help in my score I have learned as an adult.

Not a single college broke the 70% correct barrier, therefore, not one passed with a C or better!

Why is this important? I believe so strongly in America and what it stands for. We are in danger of losing our identity and what makes us a great country. Even today, there is no sense of perspective whatsoever. For example, when Cheney accidentally wounded his friend in a hunting accident, the press went ballistic. Where was the corresponding reminders that while Aaron Burr was Vice President, he KILLED Alexander Hamilton and was indicted for murder? As politics today has devolved into a bigger and bigger hatefest, I think some historical perspective would help tremendously.

We can't even remember our recent history. So when presidents and legislatures make decisions today, we cannot even think back to the headlines of just a few years ago. Man-made global warming is accepted today as gospel fact, but so was global cooling just a few decades ago. If Bush lied about WMD, so did every major head of state, head of intellegence, and our own Bill Clinton. Anyone remember that?

The summary of the findings can be found here. Most interesting is that the more higher ranked and more expensive the college, the worse the score. Taking more history classes wasn't the answer either. Apparently, more classes led to lower scores.

I don't know what the answer is, but an uneducated populace scares me.

Take the quiz. See if you can beat the miserable 52% average!