Josh @ 71 & ff:

Some of your assumptions about the U.S. are seriously distorting your views, especially those about the 50s and 60s.

For instance, in the 50s some 25% of all HS grads went on to college – so considerably more than the 10% of HS students you mentioned had to “learn something” in order to do that.

Blue collar workers were not 50% of the population either, but much less. The new, heavily college-educated middle class of the 50s was over 50% of the population. While some of them were blue collar, so that there was some overlap, they were not the same groups.

The basic driver of the decline in the U.S. culture, which started during the 50s, then accelerated mostly in the the 60s, was not education. Rather, it was what happened to the basic, 2-parent family. That is shown in the sharp worsening in most social indicators, which have not improved much to this day. Those were the enormous increases since 1960 in rates of violent crime, illegitimacy, divorce, teen suicide, addictions, abuse, fatherlessness, cohabitation instead of marriage, gang activities, worsening education, growing illiteracy, increasing psychological illnesses among teens, etc., etc., etc.

Those who don’t like to take time to check out the actual data can always simply ask one or more of the many better-educated old geezers around about what actually happened in the 50s and 60s. It’s no secret to them. And it can be even more interesting, as well as quicker, than reading some real history.

Others here have effectively responded to your misapprehensions about the Founders being mostly Deist. It is surprising to see so many serious misunderstandings of U.S. history here on BC, and to note the effects it has on someone’s thinking.

Best wishes.