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Jan. 3, 2025 - Liberty Hangout - Kaitlin Bennett
14:14
College Students Know Literally Nothing
# world wars washington dc vietnam war abraham lincoln alexander hamilton american history benjamin franklin boston tea party civic knowledge civil war college education george washington historical literacy pearl harbor thomas jefferson

Kaitlin Bennett tests college students on basic American history, exposing shocking gaps where candidates confuse Washington D.C. with Madison, guess independence years between 1757 and 1974, and incorrectly name Thomas Edison as a founding father. Despite knowing the location of the Vietnam War or that Abraham Lincoln freed slaves, many fail to identify Boston's role in the Tea Party or distinguish World Wars from other conflicts. This widespread ignorance suggests universities must prioritize core social studies over electives like volleyball, challenging the assumption that higher education guarantees historical literacy. [Automatically generated summary]

Transcriber: nvidia/parakeet-tdt-0.6b-v2, and large-v3-turbo
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Time Text
America Gains Independence 00:10:57
What is the capital of the United States?
You know what?
The capital of the United States?
Madison.
What year did America gain its independence?
Oh.
Oh, come on.
It's not 1942, because that would be Christopher Columbus.
Who did America gain its independence from?
Christopher Columbus.
What major document was signed at the Constitutional Convention?
Declaration of Independence.
In what city did American colonists throw tea into the harbor to protest?
What city?
Oh.
It's England, right?
Where was the Vietnam War fought?
John, please.
I'm in history class.
What happened during World War II?
Big, big, terrible event.
The Boston Tea Party.
Name four of America's founding fathers.
Oh, George Washington.
Uh-huh.
Thomas Edison.
What president freed the slaves?
John.
John.
You have to answer this one.
Oh, my God.
Oh my God.
We are back on the beach asking people basic American history questions.
Let's go see if anybody learned a thing or two while I was away.
You go to college, so you should know all of these.
Okay.
What is the capital of the United States?
Oh my God, I'm finishing this video.
Oh my God.
No!
Oh my God.
What is the capital of the United States?
Washington, D.C. No, it's not Washington, D.C. It's Washington.
No, it's not.
It's not just Washington D. It's Washington, D.C. That's a state.
It's Washington, D.C. What is the capital of the United States?
You know what?
The capital of the United States?
Madison.
So what's your name?
Shamar.
Okay.
Where are you from?
Azerbaijan.
Okay.
And you want to be famous?
Yeah.
What is the capital of the United States?
Washington, D.C. Very good, very good.
Some Americans don't know that.
What year did America gain its independence?
I don't know.
Don't know?
I have no idea.
1863.
Do you have a better guess?
I don't.
17 something?
Okay.
17?
17?
17.
1757.
What year did America gain its independence?
1767.
You're very close.
1762.
What year did America gain its independence?
1974.
Never mind.
Let's write down to your face.
What year did America gain its independence?
Oh.
Oh, come on.
It's not 1942, because that would be Christopher Columbus.
That's not Christopher Columbus.
That's 14.
Oh, yeah.
Oh, yeah, 14.
I don't know.
I don't know.
I'm not going to lie.
What's your major?
I'm in flight school to be a pilot.
Oh, okay.
All right.
All right.
What's your major?
I'm going into teaching.
Oh, okay.
So you...
Okay, okay, okay.
No.
Who did America gain its independence from?
Christopher Columbus.
That's my final answer.
Do you have a different one?
Can you repeat the question?
Who did America gain its independence from?
Everybody else.
What do you think about high schoolers that don't know that?
College students that don't know that.
It's sad.
Sad.
They need to just take more courses.
Yeah.
They have courses, but instead of picking volleyball or bowling, they should pick history and social studies.
When is the next presidential election?
2024.
2028.
Huh?
2028.
Wait, no, no, no, no, no, no.
No, it's 2024.
Three years.
Wait, no.
Three years.
24.
You know what month?
Wait, I don't have.
I was in school.
Can I like it?
Is it like around September?
It's like around those big holidays.
Yeah.
Yeah.
What month?
I believe it's in like inauguration day.
Who won the Civil War?
I'm literally stupid.
I can't do it.
What'd you say?
Nah, nothing.
Nothing.
I have no idea.
Who won the Civil War?
That's you.
I don't know that.
The South?
Who won the Civil War?
I don't know.
The U.S.?
The U.S.?
Well, I know, that's what I mean.
So, like, there's really no loser.
Oh, no.
Well, no.
Okay, well, I don't know.
Do you have an answer?
I have no idea.
Final answer: no one won because no one lost.
Yeah.
Yeah.
How many world wars have there been?
Oh, my goodness.
John.
3.
No, no, no.
Two, John.
No, World War, two, and three.
There's not been a third.
In what city did American colonists throw tea into the harbor?
New York.
New York.
New Jersey?
Nope.
You're very close.
With Pennsylvania?
No.
What city?
Tea into the.
Yes, there you go.
There you go.
In what city did American colonists throw tea into the harbor to protest?
What city?
Oh.
It's England, right?
American colonists.
Oh, I have no idea.
Through tea into Boston.
Yeah.
Boston Tea Party.
Oh, all right.
You're redeeming yourself.
What major document was signed at the Constitutional Convention?
Oh, come on.
Bill of Rights.
Oh, just a guess.
You know.
what's it called on the fourth of july the Declaration of Independence.
At the Constitutional Convention.
Oh, that's a different one.
Yeah.
What major document was signed at the Constitutional Convention?
Declaration of Independence.
The Constitutional Convention.
Oh.
Constitution.
Yes.
Let's go.
Very good.
Very good.
What major document was signed at the Constitutional Convention?
Declaration of Independence.
Constitutional Convention.
Constitution.
Is our current president a Democrat or a Republican?
Democrat.
Very good.
Are we big fans?
No.
No?
Okay.
Oh, no.
No.
Are you big fans?
Are you a fan of Joe Biden?
I'm Brandon, so you answered that first.
Where was the Vietnam War fought?
Vietnam.
You sure?
I was.
You sure?
I'm going to say.
Is this like over in like Thailand, kind of?
Where was the Vietnam War fought?
John, please.
I'm in history class.
Yeah, you.
Vietnam.
Okay.
Do you agree?
You agree?
Okay, you sure?
Yeah, I'm sure.
Okay, alright, perfect, perfect, perfect.
Okay.
Come on, let's go.
Vietnam.
Is that your final answer?
Yes.
See, this is the problem: high schoolers are in history.
Not in history!
That's true.
Who bombed Pearl Harbor?
Pearl.
No.
The Japanese.
Mr. Krabs' daughter?
Yeah.
Where is Pearl Harbor?
Hawaii.
Hawaii.
Yeah, it's very good.
Where is Pearl Harbor located?
Honolulu.
What?
Who did we fight in World War II?
World War II.
Everyone?
I know that you.
I don't know.
It was the Allies or the Allies versus the Speaker.
Who did we fight in World War II?
Germany?
Ann.
You want to phone your friend?
You see her phone?
Her phone's not on.
I want to say Japan.
Yeah.
There you go.
I'm thinking about going.
I think it's a Call of Duty.
Russia.
I don't know.
No, okay, who?
Germany.
Yes.
And very good.
Italy and the very good.
Very good.
Are you in history?
No, I'm a chemistry major.
Okay, alright.
Well, you're killing it.
Very good.
Okay.
Japan.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And was it Russia?
No.
You got it.
That was a USSR.
No.
The Soviet Union.
Christopher Columbus.
Four Founding Fathers? 00:03:31
World War II?
No, I remember.
Yeah, Christopher Columbus.
Christopher Columbus.
He's a really bad guy.
He's worse.
He's been alive a long time, that's just...
Okay.
No one, you don't know who?
What happened during World War II?
Big, big, terrible event.
The Boston Tea Party.
They were in Normandy, weren't they?
Oh!
Were they?
Name four of America's founding fathers.
Oh, George Washington.
Uh-huh.
Thomas Edison.
Nah, I'm getting some picking up the vibe.
That was a no.
See, that was my second best guess.
So that's it?
Just the one?
I said Thomas Edison, George Washington?
Yeah, yeah.
Whoa, okay.
Or those two your guesses?
I know there's one I know.
I just can't think of him right now.
But you're sick with Thomas Edison.
I'm gonna have to go with no.
I'm gonna take it back.
I'm withdrawing it, yeah.
Okay, you're passing it?
Yeah.
Okay, go ahead.
I think it's George Washington, Ben Franklin.
Roosevelt was there.
And then I don't know the third one.
William McKinley.
Who is that?
It was my seventh grade project.
Oh, cool.
Did you learn anything about?
No, you don't know?
Okay, do you want to steal this?
Teddy Roosevelt.
I don't know what's going on.
Listen a founding father of America.
Founding fathers.
George Washington.
Yes.
Okay.
Three more.
Abraham Lincoln.
No.
No.
That's all I got.
Name four of America's founding fathers.
George Washington.
Okay.
What's his name?
Jefferson.
There was the guy, the really fat guy.
No, okay.
I don't know.
His name started with Benjamin Franklin.
Okay.
You see one?
Yeah.
We're missing one.
I'm missing one.
Name four of America's founding fathers.
Ben Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton.
Okay, he does know it all.
Yeah, very good, very good.
All right, very good.
Okay.
Who did we fight?
You're what?
In American history.
Okay, so you should.
Okay, you have a cheat code.
All right.
I'm in the class too.
She said, I'm in the class too.
Name four of America's founding fathers.
Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, who's the other one?
One more.
Yeah.
John Hancock.
What would it be?
Who would it be?
Who would it be?
There's several you can choose from.
Roosevelt?
That was probably the dumbest thing I ever said.
What president freed the slaves?
You have to answer this one.
Oh my god.
Oh my god.
Abraham Lincoln.
Very good, very good, very good.
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