From: Gerald Long
Columbus
Years ago noted philosopher George Santayana warned civilization that those who are ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it. If state Reps. Ryan Lauer and Jim Lucas have their way, future generations of Americans will suffer the consequences of exactly this type of ignorance. It was recently reported in The Republic that Lauer and Lucas voted for House Bill 1134 in the Statehouse that would prevent educators from teaching a “divisive concept” or from using materials that assign blame to various groups, including political affiliation.
History is essentially the record of human conflict. Much of that conflict involves the efforts of people around the world, including our own colonial ancestors, to attain independence and secure their basic rights. In this light, how is one to avoid divisive concepts? Additionally, when examples of basic human rights being denied are studied, is it possible to avoid assigning blame to the guilty parties?
Don’t reasonable people agree that the Nazi Party, a political group, persecuted Jews starting in the 1930s? Anyone who respects human rights recognizes that dictators such as Hitler, Stalin, and Mao were not among the “good guys”. In American history, Native Americans did not voluntarily give up their lands. The reservation system was not simply a “housing program.” Similarly, slavery was not a “jobs program” for people brought here in chains like cargo on slave ships. Women were not prevented from voting until 1920 as a courtesy. During World War II, Japanese-Americans were not denied due process of law so that they could attend extended summer camps out in the desert. The Civil Rights Movement, starting in the 1950s, was not an unnecessary series of “social gatherings” because racial discrimination was a reality and not a myth, as some still contend.
These are but a few injustices that Lauer and Lucas would like to keep hidden because the truth might bruise a few fragile and misguided egos, like their own. Academic integrity is not something to be kicked around in a political arena. The history of the world and this nation are replete with examples of tragic inequality and injustice. If we fail to study these calamities, then history surely will repeat itself.
Just as we celebrate the many great achievements of the United States, we should be determined to correct its shortcomings.
