The Center for American Civic Leadership and Public Discourse is pleased to announce Trinity Metts as the winner of the America 250 Civic Stipend Essay Competition.

The essay competition encouraged students to respond to the prompt, “What do you think is the most important but neglected element of American political and cultural heritage and why?”

Metts, a Capstone Scholar and History major, focused on intellectual freedom in the United States. She argued that intellectual freedom was a critical component of the Nation’s founding:

“Over 250 years, the ability to exercise intellectual freedom has promoted nationwide reflection and ensured a cultural climate in which the United States has been open to the consideration of new and different ideas, even if they have gone against the grain.”

She noted that, despite its importance, intellectual freedom has become neglected in modern-day America due to social media driven-polarization and “cancel culture” that hinder many in the full expression of this freedom.

Metts argued that it is the collective responsibility of American citizens to buck these trends:

“Instead of sitting complacent in digital pools of confirmation bias, we should strive to seek out perspectives that challenge our own and combat misinformation by prioritizing media literacy. We should not be so quick to ‘cancel’ others, as this can lead to ostracism and extremism, and only widen the ideological fissures that divide us.”

She concluded her essay with a reminder of the critical place media literacy and tolerance of divergent views have played in the country’s history.

As she noted, “To avail oneself of all available information to promote one’s full understanding of a situation or to break bread with a neighbor you disagree with, despite the disapproval of others—this is the backbone of America’s cultural heritage.”

Metts won $1,000 for her submission.