Historical facts are not easily countered and appeal to the reader's logic. This works in Gatto's favor because he is trying to convince a very large audience with different opinions and education to see his point of view. He questions the credibility of the current school system by comparing it to the education of historical American figures such as George Washington and Thomas Edison. He then goes on to discuss the true goal of the system using figures and historical precedents – primarily the Prussianization of the school system. Gatto is a passionate libertarian, perhaps also for this reason he chose to mention political figures and the institution of the school system