Citizenship is an attitude, a state of mind, an emotional conviction that the whole is greater than the part...and that the part should be humbly proud to sacrifice itself that the whole may live. Robert A. Heinlein
In a recent Fox News Show with Jessie Waters, Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for president, said he does not think 18-year-olds are ready to be qualified U.S. Citizens. On several occasions, Fox News has interviewed many young people, and from their responses, we hear the young people know little about or Constitution, Founding Fathers, and documents.
Ramaswamy wants to pass a Constitutional Amendment for 18-24-year-olds to pass a civics test before they can vote. Jessie Waters pointed out that an amendment to the Constitution would be hard to pass. Ramaswamy goes on to state that this age group of young people would rather give up their right to vote than give up their access to Tic Tok. 1
Ramaswamy has a valid point. Our high schoolers are not taught about our National Heritage. They know little about our Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and the wars we fought to save the world from tyranny. We can thank the Department of Education, liberal teachers, and professors for that. Vivek wants our youth to have the same knowledge as new citizens. Jessie Waters agreed.
A Constitutional Amendment may be a bridge too far. Why not just defund the Department
of Education or abolish it? How about we get rid of liberal teachers and replace school board members with patriotic Americans? At a local GOP meeting, a US House member from Georgia, Rick Allan, recommended the state stop taking government money for schools. Fund them yourselves and do it locally. The people know what is best for their children, not the government. Sounds good to me.
Can you pass a test for citizenship? The test is 100 questions long and is far different from when I learned this in the 11th and 12th grades. We had to pass this civics test to graduate high school.
Just for the fun of it, see how you do on a short 10-question test. This exam does require some studying because you will find some politically correct questions but try not to panic. If you get six answers correct, you pass. There is no time limit. The answers are listed after the references.
1. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1800s.
2. What does the Constitution do?
3. What group of people was taken to America and sold as slaves?
4. What is freedom of religion?
5. What did Martin Luther King, Jr. do?
6. Who makes federal laws?
7. We elect a President for how many years?
8. What is the capital of your state?
9. Why do some states have more Representatives than other states?
10. Name one war fought by the United States in the 1900s.
Media Matters Staff, Jesse Watters endorses a civics test requirement for voting, Media Matters, August 10, 2023, https://www.mediamatters.org/jesse-watters/jesse-watters-endorses-civics-test-requirement-voting
Answers
1. War of 1812
Mexican-American War
Civil War
Spanish-American War
2. Sets up the government
Defines the government
Protects the basic rights of Americans
3. Africans
People from Africa
4. You can practice any religion or not practice a religion
5. Fought for civil rights
Worked for equality for all Americans
6. Congress
Senate and House (of Representatives)
(U.S. or national) legislature
7. Four (4)
8. You will have to look this one up for the answer.
9. (Because of) the state’s population
(Because) they have more people
(Because) some states have more people
10. World War I
World War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
(Persian) Gulf War
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