Friday, July 2, 2010

26 percent of Americans have no clue what country US fought to gain its independence

NY POST WIRE SERVICES
Posted: 2:59 PM, July 2, 2010

Don't know much about history? Apparently, you're not alone.

As Americans prepare to spend the Fourth of July weekend enjoying the sizzling summer weather while marking this country's independence 234 years ago, a new poll found that a whopping one in four Americans have no clue which country the United States declared its independence from.

In a new Marist College poll released today, a shocking 26 percent failed to identify Great Britain as the country the US colonies fought to gain its independence, CNN reported.

That includes the 20 percent who were "unsure" and another six percent who thought the US fought a revolution, starting in 1776, against another country -- a list that included France, China, Japan, Mexico, and Spain, the poll found.

The poll surveyed 1,004 Americans between June 17 and 24. The survey has a margin of error of three percentage points.

Meanwhile, about 150 people became new US citizens at a ceremony on Ellis Island today.

Across the country, 3,800 people are becoming naturalized citizens over the July 4th weekend.

Each year, about 680,000 people become naturalized American citizens.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.