Most college students can’t identify Father of Constitution, study finds

On the College of Mississippi, the Declaration of Independence Heart for the Examine of American Freedom seeks to provide college students a deeper and extra correct understanding of America’s founding rules and the freedoms on which the nation was constructed. Director Dr. Steven Skultety and deputy director Dr. Rankin Sherling spoke with Fox Information Digital in regards to the Heart’s mission and their issues that too few People are receiving a stable training in regards to the nation’s founding — a niche they are saying contributes to lots of the challenges the nation faces right this moment.

Sherling mentioned “it is pure and utter ignorance” in the case of People’ information of the founding paperwork. However he added that it isn’t their fault.

“They’ve been educating in a sure means. And that is compounded over time, in order that the lecturers themselves not know what is definitely within the founding paperwork… Lots of them haven’t learn the founding paperwork with out some type of teaching on what they imply,” he mentioned.

Dr. Rankin Sherling is affiliate director of the Declaration of Independence Heart for the Examine of American Freedom on the College of Mississippi (Ole Miss). (Nikolas Lanum/Fox Information Digital)

That is evident from an in depth examine by American Chamber of Commerce Foundation in 2024greater than 70% of People failed a fundamental civics quiz.

“Yearly they do an entire bunch of analysis and so they do an entire bunch of surveys, and so they discover 12 months after 12 months that college students’ information of the American type of authorities and the American historic custom of freedom and justice — it is simply not one thing that college students know rather a lot about,” Skultety mentioned.

A Study from 2024 of the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA) discovered that amongst school college students, solely 31% knew that James Madison is the “Father of the Structure.” And solely 23% knew that the phrase “authorities of the individuals, by the individuals, for the individuals” comes from the Gettysburg Deal with.

Sherling believes the issue stems from the truth that college students not often learn or straight have interaction with the founding paperwork.

“Sadly, most college students by no means learn the founding paperwork,” he mentioned. “They’re instructed what these paperwork say.”

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College city Oxford, Mississippi is dwelling to the primary campus of the College of Mississippi, often known as ‘Ole Miss’. (Wesley Hitt by way of Getty Photographs)

Sherling emphasised that the Heart works to equip college students with information about America’s founding paperwork: “We now have courses on the Declaration of Independence, and the Structure, the Invoice of Rights and the Federalist Papers.”

“I feel American values ​​are anchored in our Judeo-Christian heritage and our Western heritage and each are actually mixed and mirrored within the Declaration of Independence,” Sherling added.

The Cato Institute July 4, 2025 National Survey discovered that 53% of simply over 2,000 People didn’t know that the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 to separate the colonies from Nice Britain. Nevertheless, 64% mentioned they imagine freedom in America is in peril and that the Founding Fathers can be disillusioned with the best way the U.S. Structure is adopted right this moment.

In line with the Annenberg Center for Public PolicyIn line with a examine revealed in September, about 70% of American adults may title all three branches of presidency. Moreover, when requested which rights are assured by the First Modification, 79% mentioned freedom of speech, whereas lower than half talked about the opposite 4 rights. Freedom of faith was talked about by solely 48%.

Nevertheless, Cato’s survey revealed decrease ranges of citizen information, with greater than a 3rd of People unable to call all three branches of presidency.

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Sherling additionally emphasised that cancel tradition remains to be an issue in academia throughout the nation.

“It has conquered academia,” he mentioned. “Individuals are lastly resisting that now, however it’s nonetheless sturdy.”

Sherling doesn’t need People to imagine that the founding of the US was primarily based on oppression.

“America has some very high-sounding language about freedom and justice and equality and all that stuff, however actually that is only a ploy to cowl up the truth that what they actually needed to do was perpetuate slavery to perpetuate the oppression of ladies and additional facilitate the taking of indigenous lands,” Sherling mentioned. “I am not saying these issues did not occur, however to say that america of America is about that, that is what it is about… That is completely not true. And if you happen to stick with the founding paperwork, you possibly can defend your self in opposition to that cost.”

In line with the 2024 ACTA report, solely 28% of scholars knew that the thirteenth Modification abolished slavery. In a single ACTA survey from 2021Researchers discovered that solely 18% of four-year faculties and universities require a fundamental U.S. historical past or authorities course — a quantity that has declined over the previous decade.

“The Declaration Heart is really centered on guaranteeing that Mississippi college students, educators and residents have the chance to review our founding paperwork, however most of all we wish individuals to consider the significance and worth of our custom of American freedom,” Skultety mentioned.

Fox Information Digital additionally interviewed Emily Purifoy, a sophomore pursuing a Freedom Research minor within the Declaration Heart program, and mentioned her experiences.

Emily Purifoy, a scholar at Ole Miss, sits within the workplace of the Declaration of Independence Heart. (Nikolas Lanum/Fox Information Digital)

“I’ve talked to college students outdoors of sophistication and located that there are lots of people who agree with me. They simply do not actually know. They know they do not agree, however they do not actually know why,” Purifoy mentioned. “I feel that is due to the dearth of training.”

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Purifoy defined how the Heart has helped her with further information to defend her beliefs.

“I feel it is made me assume extra about what I imagine. I grew up conservative, so I knew who to vote for and what my politics had been, however I did not actually know why. And I feel the Declaration Heart actually taught me that and is only a basis for why America is necessary.”

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Fox Information Digital’s Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi contributed to this report.