LTTE: Chicago Tribune distorts soc. studies education

Below, my ltte this morning. I refrained from sending it to the university concerned, but did send it to the Tribune.

But I still want/need to get it off to the Univ, if only to let Leming know he's been A: outed as a liar, or B: misparaphrased.

Help me out, fellow travellers!
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Dear Chicago Tribune, Ms. Cholo,

There is a serious and glaring factual mistake in your
article of 16 November, 2003, on page 4 of the Metro/Near
Northwest edition.

The article, with the byline of Ana Beatriz Cholo, is
titled "Even teachers debate course of social studies".
It gives us a look at a group of conservative social studies
teachers blaming their professional colleagues for breeding
"cynical, anti-American attitudes" by presenting the mistakes
of American domestic and foreign policy in their classes.

The article quotes James Leming of Saginaw Valley State
University, a leader of the "Contrarians", a group advocating
that social studies teachers push only "a clear, attractive
image of our country".

The obvious error attributed to Professor Leming is when
Ms. Cholo says he wants students to be taught "how the United
States was the first nation to abolish slavery". In fact,
according to the Concise Columbia Encyclopedia, Britain
abolished slavery in 1833 and, wonder of wonders, they didn't
even have to have a civil war to do it.

Tribune readers and the Saginaw Valley State University
community deserve a clarification as to how this blatant propaganda
appeared in your publication.

Was this a case where Ms. Cholo could not be bothered to check
the assertions of a source she knew to be pushing a certain agenda?

Was Professor Leming accurately paraphrased here? If so,
is he merely ignorant of history, or did he knowingly lie to the
Tribune, in a case where any amateur with a library card could
find him to be mistaken? Sadly for Saginaw Valley State University,
neither of these alternatives is comforting.

The Tribune corporation should restrict its distortions
to its editorial page, where readers know to expect them.
In news articles, we readers who give you our hard-earned money
deserve objective facts, verified against the historical record.

As importantly, Saginaw Valley State University deserves
professors who are not only knowledgeable, not only talk a good game
loudly, but are also honest.

Respectfully yours,

Andy the Tolstoyan

<choke choke turning blue>

Father Hidalgo signed a decree abolishing slavery in Mexico in 1810. The (first) Mexican revolution was a long battle so official abolition waited until 1829. (The law was relaxed in Texas to encourage Anglo settlement. Then Santa Ana marched north to enforce it....)

Slavery was ended in most Latin American countries during the same period.

But the Haitians were probably the first. They abolished their own slavery when they rebelled agains their owners in 1791.

but I didn't want to take time on research, since I had the encyclopedia to prove them liars in even one case.

Now I can send them here if they need extra evidence! (Of course, no word back from them yet, and no mention of the error on today's web lttes.)

"Santa Ana marched north to enforce it" - does that mean Texas fought for its independence in order to retain slavery?

Wouldn't put it past the TX of yesterday or today (no offense, Texan evilDUers!).