A lesson in civics is needed

Richard A. Sokerka

The fact that every citizen in our nation knows their rights as guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States of America and that it is the supreme law of the United States should be a given.

But as a recent survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania points out, we should not jump to such a conclusion. It found that more than half of Americans (53 percent) incorrectly think it is accurate to say that immigrants who are here illegally do not have any rights under the U.S. Constitution and that more than a third of Americans (37 percent) can’t name any of the rights they are guaranteed under the First Amendment.

Nearly half of those surveyed (48 percent) say that freedom of speech is a right guaranteed by the First Amendment. But, unprompted, 37 percent could not name any First Amendment rights. And far fewer people could name the other First Amendment rights: only 15 percent of respondents said freedom of religion; 14 percent said freedom of the press; 10 percent said the right of assembly; and only 3 percent said the right to petition the government.

The fact that only 15 percent knew that the First Amendment reads in part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof,” is exasperating to those who continue to fight in our nation to make certain that our religious liberties remain intact.

“Protecting the rights guaranteed by the Constitution presupposes that we know what they are. The fact that many don’t is worrisome,” said Kathleen Hall Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center. “These results emphasize the need for high-quality civics education in the schools and for press reporting that underscores the existence of constitutional protections.”

With so many Americans so poorly informed about basic constitutional provisions, it is no wonder, for instance, that our religious freedoms can be trampled upon with many not even realizing it.

The survey is such a distressing commentary on our nation that Congress should consider the importance of making Constitution Day (Sept. 17, the anniversary of the signing of the Constitution in 1787), a national holiday and making civics education a key component of the celebration of Constitution Day.