In recent weeks, the perspectives page of the Tropolitan has become a sounding board for political rhetoric, especially as it relates to the Bush White House and the War in Iraq.
While we encourage students to voice their opinions and welcome healthy debate, a disturbing trend has emerged in several of the recent letters to the editorial section — historical inaccuracy.
In the March 1 edition of the Trop, a student (while criticizing the historical knowledge of two other students) referenced “the Alien and Sedition Act passed by President Wilson during WWI.”
As pointed out in a letter last week, the Alien and Sedition Acts were written and passed under the John Adams administration nearly 60 years before Woodrow Wilson was even born.
Perhaps the student was referring to the Sedition Act of 1918, which criminalized criticism of the federal government and was repealed in 1921.
Nevertheless, in pointing out the initial letter’s mistakes, the student who responded in last week’s Trop made an equally noticeable historical mistake.
Last week’s letter read, “President Thomas Jefferson was elected on [sic] 1802 and released all people imprisoned under the aforementioned act.”
While “on” was probably a typo, the year of President Jefferson’s “election” clearly was not.
The responder then went on the offensive by hitting his caps lock key before typing certain words for emphasis, making the letter resemble an Instant Messenger conversation.
There was no presidential election in 1802, because one occurred just two years earlier.
In fact, Jefferson was inaugurated March 4, 1801.
Under normal circumstances, such an error would not cause much of a rumble.
However, because of each student’s insistence upon the validity of his own historical knowledge (and his opponents’ lack of said knowledge), it has been frustrating to read the inaccurate statements being passed on as fact.
We would suggest that before sending politically and historically fueled letters, you sit down and do some basic research beforehand, or at least exercise a bit more tact (and a few more facts) in addressing those with dissenting opinions.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “It is in the religion of ignorance that tyranny begins.”