New survey finds Americans’ lack of knowledge about Independence Day

Two-thirds of Americans don't know the true meaning of Independence Day

A new OnePoll survey found that only 59% of 1,000 U.S. respondents could correctly identify the event that July 4 is meant to commemorate. The correct answer is the signing of the Declaration of Independence, which occurred in 1776.

While 41% of respondents got the question wrong, 22% came close by choosing the establishment of the United States as an independent nation.

Similarly, only 45% of respondents knew that the first organized celebration of independence took place in 1777, a year after the Declaration of Independence was signed.

The survey also found that many respondents had a strong understanding of other U.S. history and civics topics. For example, 82% correctly identified the President as the Commander in Chief of the military and 82% named the Star Spangled Banner as the National Anthem.

However, some basic civics lessons still eluded those polled. For example, only 65% knew that there are nine justices on the Supreme Court, and 40% did not know that the right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment, not the First Amendment.

Prior to taking the survey, only 61% of respondents claimed to be very knowledgeable about U.S. history. However, after taking the survey, 73% believed they got either most or all of the questions correct, suggesting that they were more confident in their abilities after the test.

Overall, the survey found that while many Americans have a strong understanding of U.S. history and civics, there are still some basic concepts that many people do not know.

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