Read this in the Chicago Tribune. It's nice to know that some of the younger people in this country know what's really going on.
RE-ENACTING WAR
Jenny Knox
February 2, 2000
GLEN ELLYN -- I am a 13-year-old 8th grader writing in regards to "Civil War lessons loses right to bear arms" (Page 1, Jan. 29). When I was in 5th grade, I participated in a Civil War re-enactment with my elementary school, and I disagree with Gary Catalani, superintendent of Wheaton-Warrenville Unit District 200, who is not allowing lifelike muskets in Monroe Middle School's mock Civil War. Seventh graders can tell the difference between real guns and flour-shooting muskets. Fake muskets do not make children want to go buy a gun and shoot people.
Mr. Catalani, on the other hand, thinks that letting the children have any sort of guns, real or not, is inappropriate. Could not the same be said for teaching any sort of history that involves weapons? Guns were a part of the Civil War, and there is no way around it. More Americans died in the Civil War than any other war to this day. Doing the re-enactment without guns teaches nothing about how the real Civil War was.
I learned so much about the various battles of the Civil War, but with that knowledge came the fact that people were killed during this horrible war. None of my fellow classmates who participated in the Civil War re-enactment has become a gun-toting criminal. Rather, they are knowledgeable about a war that still affects us today.
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"Ray guns don't vaporize Zorbonians, Zorbonians vaporize Zorbonians" The Far Side
[This message has been edited by jcoyoung (edited February 02, 2000).]
RE-ENACTING WAR
Jenny Knox
February 2, 2000
GLEN ELLYN -- I am a 13-year-old 8th grader writing in regards to "Civil War lessons loses right to bear arms" (Page 1, Jan. 29). When I was in 5th grade, I participated in a Civil War re-enactment with my elementary school, and I disagree with Gary Catalani, superintendent of Wheaton-Warrenville Unit District 200, who is not allowing lifelike muskets in Monroe Middle School's mock Civil War. Seventh graders can tell the difference between real guns and flour-shooting muskets. Fake muskets do not make children want to go buy a gun and shoot people.
Mr. Catalani, on the other hand, thinks that letting the children have any sort of guns, real or not, is inappropriate. Could not the same be said for teaching any sort of history that involves weapons? Guns were a part of the Civil War, and there is no way around it. More Americans died in the Civil War than any other war to this day. Doing the re-enactment without guns teaches nothing about how the real Civil War was.
I learned so much about the various battles of the Civil War, but with that knowledge came the fact that people were killed during this horrible war. None of my fellow classmates who participated in the Civil War re-enactment has become a gun-toting criminal. Rather, they are knowledgeable about a war that still affects us today.
------------------
"Ray guns don't vaporize Zorbonians, Zorbonians vaporize Zorbonians" The Far Side
[This message has been edited by jcoyoung (edited February 02, 2000).]
