It is natural for people or communities to look for links to the past.
History becomes personalized in issues such as ethnic or national pride.
This manifests itself in College communities in the desire to look to the past to find historical luminaries who, like the present generation of scholars, prided themselves in claiming their particular institution as their alma mater. The pride students have in Dartmouth College is particularly strong. Fortunately, Dartmouth's history has no shortage of luminaries, and chief among them is Daniel Webster, Class of 1801. It is easy to think of Daniel Webster as more than a fellow student and alumnus, though. His role in defending the College in the famed Dartmouth College Case has elevated his status, and his words have become immortal.