The Intelligent Vegetable Martians are Coming! Analyzing Historical Newspapers to Practice Information Literacy Skills

A key aspect of information literacy is evaluating the relationship between claims and evidence: Do the claims made in a text follow clearly and logically from evidence? Can the evidence also support alternate claims? The Library’s Informational Text Primary Source Set includes newspaper articles that students can explore to practice these skills.

For instance, invite students to read the 1912 article “Mars Peopled by One Giant Thinking Vegetable.” To guide their reading, ask:

• What claims are being made?
• What evidence is offered to support these claims?
• How does the article logically connect claims and evidence?
• Can the same evidence be used to support alternate claims?
• How convincing is the author’s argument?

While the idea of vegetable Martians will certainly appear outrageous to many, students may also note that some contemporary science facts and findings are offered to prove this claim. For instance, the author references recent spectroscopic analysis showing “an enormous proportion of carbonic acid gas [CO2] in the atmosphere of Mars, which would make animal life of the kind known to the earth exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, while it would greatly favor the development of vegetation.”

The author argues next how such favorable conditions would affect plant development: “There are some plants on earth which do possess a kind of nervous system, and it is quite reasonable to believe that they would have developed an intelligence at least equal to that of man if conditions had been favorable.” It is further suggested that these plants are likely “yellow or orange…thus giving the planet its [red] color.”

Possible student responses to the questions could include:

• The article might be persuasive to some because it includes facts and logical reasoning leading to its conclusions. But these facts are mixed with fanciful speculation, so it is also misleading.
• The facts that CO2 might be present and that CO2 supports plant growth are not by themselves enough to prove that plants grow on Mars.
• While yellow and orange plants could make Mars look reddish from a distance, there are alternative theories that could also explain this red color, such as the presence of iron oxide.

As a follow up, challenge students to come up with additional strategies with which to evaluate the article’s claims. For instance, students might identify keywords from the article and search Chronicling America to see what others had to say at the time.

Finally, point out to students that while it may be tempting to dismiss the article as silly or frivolous, humans have had more than 100 years to investigate and learn since it was written, and subsequent explorations have added to our knowledge. Interested students may wish to research various beliefs people have held regarding life on Mars, or how audiences have responded to creative works that play on those beliefs. In the meantime, developing strong information literacy skills involving claims and evidence may be helpful as students engage in debates today.

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