Final answer:
The claim that nearly 10% of Americans are unemployed is false. Historical data show that unemployment rates have been significantly lower than 10% for several years, including a 4.8% rate in January 2017.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that today, nearly 10 percent of all Americans are unemployed is false. Unemployment rates fluctuate with economic conditions. For instance, during the 2008-2009 recession, unemployment rates were quite high, peaking at around 10%. However, these rates tend to fall as the economy recovers. For example, by January 2017, the unemployment rate had dropped to 4.8%. It's important to keep in mind that unemployment figures represent a percentage of the labor force and small changes can represent substantial numbers of actual people due to the large size of the U.S. economy.