“The classic symbol of patriotism” by Alexandra Brewer
By: Alexandra Brewer
North Dakota has decided that it will require high school students to pass a 100-question civics test in order to receive their high school degree. The state’s first lady, Betsy Dalrymple, discussed this bill with lawmakers and educators on December 1st, and this bill shall be debated in January.
It is important, according to Sam Stone, a spokeswoman for the Joe Foss Institute, that the youth of the nation is aware of their patriotic history. It is easy for high-schoolers to name Lady Gaga, but it was not as easy to name the founding fathers of this great country. The test’s purpose is to encourage teenagers to be aware of the governments’ functions and history so they grow to be better and wiser voters.
The test includes questions about American history, such as the date the Constitution was written, questions about civics, like who the current president is, and questions about American geography, like which ocean borders the East Coast of the U.S.A.
Out of a survey of a random high school class at Brevard High School with both genders and various ages, scores were overall high, with a 96% average. These were all natural-born Americans. When asked around school, random participants of all races and ages, the scores were again overall high.
This initiative is to ensure that those who reside in America have the knowledge to properly succeed and to increase patriotism in the youth of the nation. It will also ensure that American students that are entering the business world will have ept knowledge to vote and to take a job, all for the greater good of the country. These students are the new generation, and all inhabitants of the United States of America need be educated about the country where they hail, whether they were born here or not.
Other states like South Dakota, Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Utah have similar ideas about this test, and are discussing it within their own Board of Education. The goal is to enact similar laws in all U.S. states by 2017, when the Constitution turns 230 years old.