This week we will celebrate the Fourth of July. John Adams advocated celebrating it with “pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other”. Whether any of these factor into your own festivities, or whether you have your own traditions, the day marks a major change in human events. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was signed by fifty-six men, putting our country on a path to freedom and self-determination that has since been copied by dozens of other nations. Before 1776, the evidence was scant that any people could successfully govern themselves without kings or aristocracy. Today, it is common knowledge.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson were two of the drafters of that declaration – two of many men who overcame vast personal differences and interests to forge an intricate working government that would strive and evolve towards serving the needs of all its citizens. They were friends, then. But later events, including incredibly bitter elections in 1796 and 1800, left the men as personal and political enemies, divided in their views on national institutions, relationships with France and England, the strength of the federal government as compared with the states, and national security. It would be years before they reconciled, in 1812, but both men finally died as friends on July 4, 1826, the fiftieth anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
Still, it is an important lesson for us. Two people who would seem to agree on so much had almost irreconcilable views on every major national policy issue. Both believed their views fervently and honestly. And both came by their beliefs through rigorous and intellectual thought – they were not fools who were tricked into anything. But this is hardly unique in human thought – meaning and truth are often contested. Well-meaning and credible people always have widely divergent views and beliefs. And whether they intend to or not, they often try to convince you of the rightness of their cause.
At IU East, we believe a truly free person is one who can see these intentions, examine these arguments, and who can critically evaluate any claims – whether they are ones you are inclined to distrust, or, perhaps even more importantly, if they are ones you are inclined to accept. A free person reads, and thinks, and researches. They ask themselves many questions before coming to a conclusion. Who is making the claim? Why? Do they get anything out of it? What are the implications? And we may also come to different conclusions, like Adams and Jefferson – but we will not be at anyone’s mercy, or led down a path we do not understand or agree with.
This freedom – the freedom that comes from clear, critical thought – is one reason why libraries are so important. Information is made accessible to anyone, to evaluate and consider rationally any argument. Like all libraries, IU East has lots of sources for this. CQ Researcher is a database that offers deep, heavily footnoted and fact-checked primers on major issues of the day, including an overview, a chronological history, potential pros and cons, and plenty of multimedia. Opposing Viewpoints in Context lets the different stakeholders speak for themselves, choosing leading intellectual authorities on both sides of every major debate to write very partisan, but well-thought out and researched position papers. And we offer our own Beginning Research libguide, to help any scholar get started with questioning, evaluating, and learning.
Any questions? Ask them at iueref@iue.edu!