I’m beginning to believe those studies that show that more than half of this country’s high school students can’t tell you within 50 years when major historical events took place.
Unfortunately, some of these students go on to work in what traditionally have been thought of as positions of responsibility, such as writing headlines for major metropolitan newspapers.
Another example of this disturbing trend in our schools can be seen on Bill Wasson’s Feb. 3 story (Main news) about successful attempts to preserve Patrick Henry’s birthplace.
The headline was: “But one house to give; No regrets over land deal tied to Patrick Henry legacy.”
What the headline writer was thinking of were the words of the American soldier Nathan Hale, who, shortly before being hanged as a spy by the British in 1776, said, “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.”
What Patrick Henry said during a speech in Virginia’s House of Burgesses in 1775 was, “Give me liberty, or give me death.”
