A civics revival
On Constitution Day, a call to emphasize civics education, understanding
Colonial Williamsburg will host a naturalization ceremony on Monday for 49 soon-to-be Americans to swear their oath of allegiance to the United States and accept the benefits and responsibilities of citizenship.
The event coincides with today’s Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, commemorations that should prompt a swell of civic pride as well as introspection about how the nation can strengthen the foundation of the American experiment.
That begins with civic education. What’s remarkable about a naturalization ceremony isn’t only the arduous process an individual must endure in order to earn
U.S. citizenship, but how many natural-born citizens couldn’t successfully do the same.
The Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania released the results of its annual Constitution Day Civics Survey on Thursday and, predictably, they were grim:
Branches of Government: Some 66% of respondents named all three branches of government — executive, legislative and judicial. Ten percent named two of the branches, 7% named one, and 1 in 6 (17%) could not name any.
First Amendment Rights: Only 5% correctly listed all five First Amendment rights while 30% could name three or four. Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) could name one or two First Amendment rights, and 20% could not correctly name any. Only 9% recalled the right to petition the government and 22% said “the right to bear arms” was protected by the First Amendment, instead of the Second Amendment.
Supreme Court: Some 71% were correct that a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling must be followed, but 16% say a 5-4 ruling sends the issue back to Congress and 12% said the decision would go to a federal court of appeals.
More than being able to remember basic facts, Americans generally lack a thorough understanding of the government’s fundamental framework, the rights imparted by the Constitution or how they have changed from 1787 to today.
The First Amendment is a good example of this. Too many Americans believe the protected rights to speech and assembly are absolute when the Constitution only limits government encroachment on those freedoms. The law does not shield citizens from personal or professional consequences of exercising their First Amendment rights, as some incorrectly insist.
The numbers from the Annenberg survey are discouraging, but the report also includes a glimmer of hope: “An APPC analysis found that reporting having taken a high school civics class continues to be associated with correct answers to civics knowledge questions.”
Perhaps it’s no earth-shattering revelation that requiring civics education helps produce more knowledgeable citizens, but the study’s conclusions offer further evidence of how valuable that coursework can be.
The non-partisan advocacy group iCivics, founded in 2009 by retired Supreme Court Associate Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, preaches the many benefits of civics education in molding well-rounded, engaged citizens who participate fully in democracy and their communities. Understanding the architecture of the federal system, how it operates and how it’s evolved since the Constitution’s adoption empowers Americans to be effectively involved in their government.
On this scorecard, Virginia deserves high marks. The commonwealth requires students to complete civics classes in middle school and high school, as it should. It helps that so much of the American story was written in Virginia — from the European settlers’ landing in 1607, to the decisive revolutionary victory at Yorktown, to the Declaration of Independence and Constitution (both primarily authored by Virginians), to the commonwealth’s central role in the Civil War.
Yet, with the nation’s 250th birthday looming in 2026, there is no better time for a greater emphasis on civics education. The public should applaud, for instance, the inclusion of $23 million for K-12 civics education included in the 2022 federal omnibus spending bill.
More is needed, and government need not take the lead. Civics education begins at home (though parents might want to brush up on the details before diving in) and there are many groups and organizations, beyond iCivics, working to boost civic literacy in communities across the country.
The 49 people swearing their oath on Monday know the cost and value of their citizenship. That gravity must be imparted on the next generation of American thinkers, dreamers, leaders and doers, to whom the American experiment will be entrusted.