How well do you know the history of the United States? Some people store history in their minds like a college professor. Others have a Sarah Palin-like grasp on subjects such as the American Revolution and the Civil War.

Most Americans Don’t Know U.S. History

If you scratch your head in bewilderment when asked about early American trade with other countries or whether the U.S. has a national language, then you are not alone. According to the 2010 National Assessment of Educational Progress, 13% of high school seniors couldn’t answer similar questions accurately.

Some educators blame No Child Left Behind for the poor results. No Child Left Behind focuses so much on basic skills such as math and reading that it often prevents teachers from exploring other subjects, including U.S. history.

The Impact of History

Who cares whether people know U.S. history? After all, it’s just a bunch of boring dates and names, right?

Wrong. If you really know your history, then you probably already know George Santayana’s great maxim: those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.

When people don’t understand U.S. history, they can’t learn from mistakes made in the past. This can lead to a host of social and economic problems. If only more people understood how the federal government helped the economy recover from the Great Depression, then today’s politicians probably wouldn’t spend so much time talking about debt ceilings and stimulus packages.

If more people understood their history, then they would know what happens when corporate deregulation gets taken too far.

History has importance in today’s world. As U.S. citizens, therefore, everyone should support educational programs that teach history as well as basic skills.