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Inbox Retroactive Morality

By Richard L. Handelsman ’67
Published online June 28, 2020
0
SEND A RESPONSE TO INBOX

In Response to: Princeton Renames Wilson School and Residential College, Citing Former President’s Racism

Re: Damning Woodrow Wilson for his “racist thinking and policies.”

The Constitution prohibits Congress and the states from passing ex post facto laws: Sadly, the same ban applies neither to private institutions nor to morality.

Richard L. Handelsman ’67
West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Related Inbox Letters

Wilson and the Peace of Paris
John P. Hyde ’59
Being Mestizo
Gary R. Walters ’64 *75
Wilson’s Party
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Jean-Pierre Cauvin ’57 *68
What Would Woodrow Do?
Charlie Bell ’76
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Guest Essay: Reimagining Mental Health at Princeton

A call to fight stigmas and add resources for students
Features

‘It Put Steel In My Spine’

They were isolated and harassed. They were nurtured and supported. They were Princeton’s first four-year undergraduate class of women.
Research

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‘I think it shows you that it is OK to be messy because life is messy’

Submit a Letter to the Editor

Submit a Letter to the Editor

Join the conversation by sending a letter using our online form.
Submit

Related Inbox Letters

Wilson and the Peace of Paris
John P. Hyde ’59
Being Mestizo
Gary R. Walters ’64 *75
Wilson’s Party
Charles S. Rockey Jr. ’57
History as ‘More or Less Gray’
Jean-Pierre Cauvin ’57 *68
What Would Woodrow Do?
Charlie Bell ’76
With Wilson, It Was More Than Racism
Laurence C. Day ’55
At Last
Andrea M. Matthews ’78
On Respectful Listening and Change
Joe Illick ’56
Flippant Cover Line
John Brittain ’59
Removing Wilson’s Name
James B. Fletcher ’54
Example of Presentism
J.W. Donner ’49
Wilson’s ‘Body of Work’
Richard W. Corkhill ’53
Princeton’s Early Presidents
Richard Schimel ’75
A Tempest But Not in a Teapot
Norman Ravitch *62
Wilson Is Not Alone
Bob Hazard ’56
An Elegant Solution
Charles Scribner III ’73 *77
Oppose Racism Through Actions
William Hannum ’54
Progressives and the War on History
Ken Buck ’81
The Board’s Obligation
Paul Firstenberg ’55
Symbolic Gestures and the Need for Change
Mimi Stokes (formerly Katzenbach) ’76
Seeking More Information About the Wilson Decision
Chester S. Logan ’51
A ‘Lasting Memorial’
David Nimick ’46
On Eliminating Historical Figures
Richard L. Hames *67
Where Princeton Is, Where It Is Going
Tony Tolles ’73
Imperfect Leaders
Mark I. Davies ’65 *71
Feeble Excuses
Eric Geller ’83
Scholars’ Views of Wilson’s Legacy
James W. Anderson ’70
Applauding the Dropping of Wilson’s Name
Chris Douglas ’88
Wrong Issue in the Wilson Case
Norman Ravitch *62
On the Ethics of Naming
Benjamin Lehrer ’03
Service and Today’s Princeton
John A. Gardiner ’59
No Leader Is Without Sin
Larry Leighton ’56
Telling the Whole Story
L. Marc Zell ’74
Great Contributions and Just Criticism
Lemoine Skinner III ’66
Honoring Edith Wilson
Paul Hertelendy ’53
Wilson’s Influence on University History
Nicholas Piacente ’13
Another Naming Suggestion
Vijay Thadani ’76
‘Change Has Finally Arrived’
Michael A. Watkins ’77
‘No Nation Chooses Its History’
John D. Puskas ’82
Judging Our Forefathers
Georgia Breen-Clapham ’79
Naming Suggestion
George Heitmann *63
Retroactive Morality
Richard L. Handelsman ’67
Support From a Wilson Lodge Alum
Roy Neil Graves II ’61
Another Example of Wilson’s Social Injustice
James (Jim) Lane ’92
Surrender to the Mob?
Martin Sklar ’81
Political Correctness at Princeton?
James O. Ward ’77
Changing the Name of Wilson College and the School of Public and International Affairs
Randy Nichols ’73 *81

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