Last week, a friend of a friend suggested rather than take our
kids to a Disney park this summer, we should consider visiting a civil war
battle site, or maybe a battle field from the revolutionary war. The idea was we
should be raising children who are proud to be Americans. This is sort of how I
was raised. I’ve seen the Liberty bell, Old Ironsides and Independence Hall. I’ve
been to a great number of civil war battlefields. But I’ve also seen the site
of the Mountain Meadow massacre. I’ve been to places where indigenous people
were slain and where enslaved people were bought and sold. I know it’s
important to teach history, even when (maybe especially when) our history isn’t
something to be proud of. And I’ve been to enough similar historic places in
other countries to know we don’t have a monopoly on virtue. I’d still rather
visit Disney.
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