Only 70% Of Americans Agree With The Declaration Of Independence
A majority of Americans agree with the Declaration of Independence’s statement “governments derive their only just powers from the consent of the governed,” according to a survey from Rasmussen Reports. That’s good, right?
Well, if you look at it the way Dan Amira at New York’s Daily Intel did, it’s actually kind of shocking. Whereas Rasmussen focused on the positive in their headline, “Americans Still Agree With Declaration of Independence,” Amira went for “Disturbingly Large Number of Americans Don’t Agree with Declaration of Independence.” So, it’s all about perspective.
According to the national survey of 1,000 adults, 70 percent of Americans concur with that central tenet of our nation’s founding text. That means that 13 percent disagree (who are you?!) and 17 percent are undecided (again, who are you!?!). The real question is, What are those people doing for their awkward day off tomorrow?
But in good news: the number of people who agree with the Declaration is up from last year’s 66 percent and 2008′s 58 percent. Happy birthday, America! At least 70 percent of us will be celebrating tomorrow.
NOTE: This post was written the day before Independence Day. (Ed.)
Written by Esther Zuckerman, The Atlantic Wire and published at Business Insider July 4, 2012.
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It makes me sick to think that 30%(that is over 90 million)of Americans are either that ignorant, or more likely that apathetic. What was it that Samuel Adams said…”Crouch down and lick the hands that feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”