Recent deliberations on history curriculum in schools have inspired discussion on if American exceptionalism — the notion America is vastly different from other countries — should be taught.
“Many times we do not learn from our past, but it will always have some effect on our present and future,” Professor of History Gary Lindsey said.
Since the founding of the United States, the country has made great strides on becoming a global superpower. The journey to do so has had great victories and pitfalls, and sometimes the U.S. seems to forget the pitfalls.
Lindsey said he encourages his students to remember that history is flawed because decisions have been made by imperfect humans.
“Americans are good at remembering what they want to remember,” An article from the Atlantic said. “…But Americans are also good at forgetting.”
Ty Belt, a senior social studies education major said American patriotism is not all about American history, but about what nationalities have contributed to the country.
“The way our constitution was written, it allowed so much freedom, choice and welcomed an assortment of people from all over the world — that from the beginning, America was going to be a hard place to preserve history,” Belt said.
Refugees seeking a safe haven from all types of persecution opened the doors to a peculiar history, according to Belt.
America is attributed as a melting pot of cultures, making it difficult to have a singular national narrative.
“What makes America so great is the different types of history that make up an unique nation,” Belt said. “We have specific type of history compared to surrounding countries. It might not be how we started but its always going to be changing because of new ideas, different challenges. This is why America is special.”
Belt said, as he begins his career as a history teacher, he said he wants his future students to see the vast differences throughout American history.
“I want my students to see the patriotism from our forefathers, but also see what America is today,” Belt said. “The United States is filled with good differences and students need to embrace it.”
Junior Lyndsey Sturgeon said there is no perfect society because there is no perfect human.
“In my opinion, some American history is taken for granted, but not one person from any country knows everything about where they came from.” Sturgeon said.
Following the saying that history repeats itself, it is important for people everywhere to try to prevent the same mistakes from the past, Lindsey said.
The push for American exceptionalism may have more negatives than positives if people forget to learn from past mistakes.
“The United States will suffer if we do not learn from our past,” Lindsey said. “We do not only need to know our past but learn the lessons from the past as well.”
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