Before I begin bashing every American who failed the following history quiz, I'd like to make a statement in full disclosure. Even though I took countess history classes in high school and in college, I certainly haven't retained every name and event I learned about. I'm sure I'd miss my fair share of embarrassing questions in some people's opinion. But the following five questions, including who the gentleman is in the above picture, should be pretty cut and dry.

In honor of the 4th of July, our friends over at YouGov gave some random citizens a civics and history quiz. The results were less than encouraging. Here are five of the questions asked and some very disappointing results.

  1. Who was the first president of the United States? 13% or around 1 in 8 people did NOT know it was George Washington. 6% said Abe Lincoln!
  2. What did the Declaration of Independence do? 78% knew that it declared our independence from Great Britain. 9% thought it freed the slaves. Ouch.
  3. At what age can you vote for president? 80% of people knew it was 18 years of age. 9% said 21 and 3% said 16.
  4. What are two rights of everyone living in the United States? 86% of folks got it right with the freedom of speech and religion. Nice work America.
  5. Who was Ben Franklin? The correct answer was an American diplomat, but 21% said our 3rd president and 4% said he invented the airplane.

There are things from our vast history that can be forgotten. But our first president? Come on America, you're better than that! You can take the full civics test yourself from YouGov. Let us know how you score!

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