PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA — The U.S. Constitution was a collaborative effort undertaken by many of America’s Founding Fathers. James Madison played an especially crucial role in drafting the supreme law of the U.S., and as such is often referred to as the “Father of the Constitution.” One can’t help but wonder what President Madison would think about the results of a new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. In short, the poll suggests a troubling number of Americans are incredibly uninformed when it comes to their own constitutional rights.
Even worse, the 2023 Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey, an annual poll released every Constitution Day (Sept. 17), also found that a significant number of Americans can’t even name the three branches of the government. More specifically, while two-thirds of Americans (66%) can name the three branches, 10 percent can only list two, another seven percent can only name one, and an astounding 17 percent can’t name a single branch.
Meanwhile, when respondents were asked to name all of the rights guaranteed […]
From the Federal Government’s point of view this is excellent news. After all, if you’re going to engage in behaviors which shred constitutional principles:
Commit acts of war around the globe without specific congressional authorization
Assassinate citizens without trial
Commit search and seizure of property and personal effects without Judicial warrant
Spend funds without congressional authorization
Extend regulations without congressional review
Restrict the liberty of citizens without legislative authorization
the last thing you want is for the citizens to actually know what the document says. The article really only touches upon the first few amendments. This doesn’t even dare to discuss radical ideas such as the implementation of the 9th and 10th amendments to the constitution as written.