The problem of this study was to determine the number of first semester college freshmen who could correctly identify the individuals who are generally considered the "fathers" of communism and capitalism. A questionnaire was administered to 241 freshmen students enrolled in English 101, College Reading and Writing, at Texas A&M University-Commerce. Thirty-eight percent of the students correctly identified Adam Smith. Forty-six percent of the students correctly identified Karl Marx. Only 22% of the students correctly identified both men. A vast majority of the respondents--218 of the 241--indicated that they had a high school economics course or an economics component in their high school curriculum. Of these 218 students, 48 percent correctly chose Marx as the "father" of communism, while only forty percent chose Smith as the "father" of capitalism. (Contains 5 tables.)