"And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man."
 

This is one of the most famous quotes of the 20th century. Do you know who said it? President Kennedy did, during his inauguration speech on January 20, 1961. These words are carved on the panels that surround the Kennedy grave site at Arlington National Cemetery. Do these words live in the hearts of Americans today or are they as cold as the granite into which they are carved?
 

It’s Alarming:
 

• Fewer than half of all Americans can name all three branches of government, a minimal requirement for understanding America’s constitutional system.
   
• Only 54% of college graduates can correctly identify a basic description of the free enterprise system, in which all Americans participate.
   
• Thirty percent of elected officials do not know that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are the inalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence.
   

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free... it expects what never was and never will be.” —Thomas Jefferson

ISI’s National Civic Literacy Board tested over 14,000 college freshman and seniors at 50 U.S. Colleges and universities on 60 multiple-choice civics questions. The average 2005 score was 53.2 percent – a failing grade. In 2006, the college seniors again failed all civics subjects.
 

How do you score? Take the quiz at www.americancivicliteracy.org