4-Year old recites Constitution Preamble on Jay Leno Show

The Tonight Show, Season 10 Episode 2477 | 4/28/03

[Xthe17th]

Did anyone see the Tonight Show last night? - Guests included actor Hugh Jackman, music by Jimmy Buffett, and a 4-year old political wiz! This little girl in a pink dress stood-up and recited the preamble to the US Constitution. Then, Jimmy Buffet asked her who the Mayor of Margaritaville was, and she didn't know. So he said, "Ok, who's the Governor of Florida?" And she shouted "Jeb Bush!"

I was grinning from ear to ear!

[Xthe17th]

I normally only watch Letterman - luckily had channel surfed in for the "Mayor of Margaritaville".

[Frumious Bandersnatch]

Cool. It is required by the school where my kids go that they memorize the preamble to the Constitution. They also study many founding documents.

[Xthe17th]

...a product of the Sunshine State's school system? Although I hear Jeb's doing a fine job re that, I would still bet she's home-schooled.

[Zavien Doombringer]

They also study many founding documents. I didn't know about the federalist papers until college. That's where I read Thomas Jeffersons arguement about separation of church and state.

[southernbychoice]

My 5 and 6 year olds can recite it also. Except that they have to sing it to the tune of the Schoolhouse Rock song!

[stevio]

Hope for the future bump.

[RayBob]

Friday night we had the TV on, and America's Funniest Home Videos, or what ever the show is called now was on ABC. The announcer asked folks in the audience who the Secretary of State was, who the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader were...none of the adults could answer...then they showed the clip of a man holding a very young girl, probably about 3 or 4 years old, asking her to name the President and all the cabinet members (by office)...she nailed them all, GWB, Donald Rumsfield, even Condlezza Rice. The last question was "Who's Bill Clinton?" to which the little girl responded "A jerk!" There were howls of laughter from the audience. Dad must have been a FReeper!

[Houmatt]

This kid is obviously homeschooled.

[b9]

Oh my gosh...I SAW that little girl last night...was just telling my husband about it (he crashed early and missed it)...she's AMAZING.

Reminds me of the little actress from "Corinna, Corinna!" (only cuter)

All I can say is, "Out of the mouths of babes"...
she had that audience spellbound...knew the names of every world leader, every US governor, every US President, and answered with complete confidence.
Leno asked her who taught her all that and she beamed, "My DAD!" Wow, what a guy.

[Hatteras]

So, how was Buffett?

[VRWCmember]

...a product of the Sunshine State's school system?

She's FOUR YEARS OLD. She's not the product of any school system, but rather is a child who has obviously had some excellent instruction from involved parents.

[zeugma]

Re: the preamble, I wonder if she has the Schoolhouse Rock DVD?

I do

[kassie]

My thoughts exactly !

[ImaGraftedBranch]

It is required by the school where my kids go that they memorize the preamble to the Constitution. They also study many founding documents.

Ours too! It's right here at home!

[Technogeeb]

I didn't know about the federalist papers until college. That's where I read Thomas Jeffersons arguement about separation of church and state.

You either have a very strange sense of humor, or the higher education system has brought the dark art of revisionist history to new depths...

[f.Christian]

I caught this wonder too ...

all the presidents ---

around the world too --- 1st names ...

n korea I can't even repeat it !

I couldn't recall Schroeders 1st name !

WOW !

[arthurus]

I doubt it is something so formal as home schooling. I noticed in my own first of four that at age 3 she began memorizing anything she saw on TV that was repeated more than once. I realized that this was a little empty data bank acquiring data so I decided to fill up some of that RAM or ROM with a better class of data. All of my kids could repeat aphorisms like "That government governs best that governs least," They could do a whole set on based on the Pythagorean theorum. Thus:

ME-What is the Pythagorean theorum?
THE KID-(repeats the theorum)
ME-Who was Pythagorus?
THE KID-A Greek Mathematician.
ME-Do you know any other Greek mathematicians?
THE KID-Yes, Archimedes.
ME-What did he say?
THE KID-Eureka!
ME-What did he do then?He jumped up out of his bath
ME-Why did he do that?
THE KID-He discovered the principle of the displacement of water.
v.v. and on through Euclid and branching off to Galen...

Impressed friends and neighbors to no end, convinced them that my kids are all geniuses, but they are not. They are pretty solidly average. Most kids memorize stuff easily at that age. And I discovered a benefit to it years later. When they ran into Pythagorus in school it was a familiar name and they were not intimidated. My grandson who is 1 1/2 now will get the treatment, also. My oldest daughter is a believer. She can still do the drill.