Media analyst Mark Dice asked a random sample of people some basic questions about America’s 4th of July holiday — the results are quite disturbing, to say the least. While not everyone is expected to know everything about Independence Day or American history in general (many of us don’t), there are just some questions that people SHOULD KNOW.
What’s one question no American should EVER get wrong?
What country famously broke away from England to start their own country in the late 1700’s?
The gentleman who was asked this simply responded “I have no idea, man.” But, truth be told there were just too many words in that question on a bright shiny day in San Diego. The man likely kept thinking, “I can’t wait to get away from this guy with the camera.” There are shorter ways to ask this question, and Mark did. He asked three other people this same question but rephrased it: “What country did we declare Independence from?” Perfect. Short. Concise. But, still, no one knew the answer.
Mark changed his questions up a bit and received some intriguing responses.
What are we celebrating on the 4th of July?
Beachgoer: “Our Independence.”
BINGO! WE HAVE A WINNER!
Mark: A little more specific, please.
Beachgoer: “It’s a day that we overtook the south and it’s our independence from the south.”
WE SPOKE TOO SOON.
Mark tried his best to make sure the beachgoer wasn’t confused on what she was talking about, but she seemed clear in her mind that Independence Day was the day we won the Civil War.
That’s not even the worst response he received. You’ll just have to watch the video for those.
It would be nice to say that these results are unfair and not an accurate reflection of the nation as a whole, but that’s simply not true. A 2011 Maris poll found out that:
About one in four Americans doesn’t know from which country the United States declared its Independence. While 76 percent correctly cite Great Britain, 19 percent are unsure, and 5 percent mention another country.
Watch here:
Featured image via YouTube screen capture
