Americans flunk constitutional quiz (fwd)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 13:57:45 -0700 (PDT)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
To: fight-censorship-announce@vorlon.mit.edu
Subject: Americans flunk constitutional quiz


WASHINGTON (AP) - Pop quiz: How many U.S. senators are there?
	One in two Americans do not know the answer is 100, according to a
survey on the U.S. Constitution released Monday. And two in five don't
know there are three branches of government, let alone what they are.
	Mayor Edward G. Rendell of Philadelphia, where the Constitution
was signed 210 years ago this Wednesday, said the results were
disappointing.
	"That shows an appalling lack of knowledge for a document that
determines what we do," said Rendell, chairman of the National
Constitution Center, created by Congress in 1988 to increase awareness of
the document. "Every day, issues important and central to us as people and
government are affected by the Constitution."

[...]

	Ten basic questions about the Constitution:
	1. When was the Constitution written?
	2. Where was the Constitution written?
	3. What are the first 10 amendments to the Constitution called?
	4. Do you recall what the introduction of the Constitution is
           called?
	5. How many branches of the federal government are there?
	6. How many senators are there in the U.S. Congress?
	7. How many years are there in a Senate term?
	8. How many voting members are there in the House of
           Representatives?
	9. How many years are there in a representative's term?
	10. Who nominates the justices of the Supreme Court?

	Answers (and percentage of correct responses): 1. 1787 (19
percent); 2. Philadelphia (61 percent); 3. the Bill of Rights (66
percent); 4. the Preamble (55 percent); 5. three (58 percent); 6. 100 (48
percent); 7. six years (43 percent); 8. 435 (23 percent); 9. two years (45
percent); 10. the president (70 percent). 

	Source: National Constitution Center.

> WASHINGTON (AP) - Pop quiz: How many U.S. senators are there?
> 	One in two Americans do not know the answer is 100, according to a
> survey on the U.S. Constitution released Monday.

Well, that's pretty sad.  Unfortunately very few of these questions 
had anything to do with the ideas behind the details?  You can ask
as many "how many congressional paiges fit on the head of a 
xxxahemxxx pin" questions, but how many can answer more important
questions.  In the spirit of test competition I humbly offer this 
competing quiz.

1.  Who were the federalists and the anti-federalists?
2.  What was the difference?
3.  What are the reasons for each of rights enumerated by the Bill of 
Rights?
4.  What are the rights of the government?  Does it have any?
5.  What is the difference between rights and powers?
6.  What is more powerful, a sitting jury or the Supreme Court?
7.  Is the second clause of the second amendment depedent or not?  
8.  What is the meaning of the ninth and tenth amendments?
9.  What happenend to the constitution in 1938?
10. What is meant by the "welfare clause" of the constitution?  Show 
supporting evidence by quoting at least one founding father.
11. Who said "This country was founded with a pretty radical 
constitution, with radical freedoms.  When people abuse those 
freedoms you have to move to limit them."?
12.  What was the main argument against a bill of rights?
13.  What major document, which is signed yearly by most adult 
Americans is a direct violation of the fifth amendment?
14.  What is meant by freedom of assembly?
15.  What does the phrase "shall not be infringed" mean?
16.  What is meant by "a militia" in the second amendment?
17.  What is meant by "well-regulated" in the second amendment?
18.  What is meant by "free state" in the second amendment?    
19.  Which federal agencies are not specified in the constitution?
20.  And finally a real trivia question, kids.  What kind of 
paper was the Declaration of Independence and Constitution 
printed on?


Please feel free to add on any other questions before we set up 
the CypherPunks Constitutional Quiz Website.  ;-)

Regards,

Jim Burnes
 
Jim Burnes
Engineer, Western Security, SSDS Inc
jim.burnes@ssds.com
----
When the world is running down
Make the best of what's still around
                   - Sting

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In <Pine.GSO.3.95.970915142531.8586K-100000@well.com>, on 09/15/97 
   at 02:25 PM, Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com> said:


>---------- Forwarded message ----------
>Date: Mon, 15 Sep 1997 13:57:45 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Declan McCullagh <declan@well.com>
>To: fight-censorship-announce@vorlon.mit.edu
>Subject: Americans flunk constitutional quiz


>WASHINGTON (AP) - Pop quiz: How many U.S. senators are there?
>	One in two Americans do not know the answer is 100, according to a
>survey on the U.S. Constitution released Monday. And two in five don't
>know there are three branches of government, let alone what they are.
>	Mayor Edward G. Rendell of Philadelphia, where the Constitution was
>signed 210 years ago this Wednesday, said the results were disappointing.
>	"That shows an appalling lack of knowledge for a document that
>determines what we do," said Rendell, chairman of the National
>Constitution Center, created by Congress in 1988 to increase awareness of
>the document. "Every day, issues important and central to us as people
>and government are affected by the Constitution."


This is quite understandable.

There is very little teaching of the Constitution or of Government in
public schools. Many years ago when I was in HS Civics entailed a 1
semester course 1/2hr a day in your senior year. While American history
may still be taught in the public schools it is done so by socialist who
have no interests of enlightening their students of the reasons this
country was founded or the philosophies that it is founded on.

We are paying today for allowing the socialist/statist taking control of
the education of our children 30 yrs ago.

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On Mon, 15 Sep 1997, William H. Geiger III wrote:
> This is quite understandable.
> 
> There is very little teaching of the Constitution or of Government in
> public schools. Many years ago when I was in HS Civics entailed a 1
> semester course 1/2hr a day in your senior year. While American history
> may still be taught in the public schools it is done so by socialist who
> have no interests of enlightening their students of the reasons this
> country was founded or the philosophies that it is founded on.

Personally I had one semester of American Gov't, we had to memorize the
preamble (I know longer remember all of it, but I know the general ideas),
we studied the Bill of Rights (and the 14th Amendment), and the general
ideas of the constitution. While I don't think I got all the questions
correct on the quiz (some of the specific details, etc.), I know the
general ideas.

> We are paying today for allowing the socialist/statist taking control of
> the education of our children 30 yrs ago.

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