.png)
The American political experience has been chaotic over the past year. With a failed insurrection on the U.S. Capitol Building, wide distrust in basic American political institutions, and dangerous extremism on both sides of the aisle, the politically salient citizen has a plethora of issues that they should be concerned with. One of the most important conversations that I believe has gone largely unnoticed during the past year has been the conversation that we’ve been having about our country’s history. The Trump Administration’s 1776 Commission painted a vastly different picture of American history than the New York Times’s Pulitzer-Prize-winning 1619 Project. While I take particular issues with both portrayals of America’s history, the fact that we, as a people, have decided to confront and reflect on our history has made it clear just how fundamentally different our views have become.
If we are unable to agree on something as fundamental as a starting point for our country (something that many historians find redundant, to begin with), it has become increasingly clear that Americans do not believe they share the same history. My questions as a political observer are these: without a sense of shared history, how can our nation heal its wounds and unite? What are the implications as to the public trust of our institutions? These questions, and many others that I have make me worried about the future of our republic. A nation is only as strong as its institutions, and without public trust in the historical efficacy of those institutions, a government appears weak.
For now, my proposal for a solution lies in inclusion and honesty. I believe that history can be taught in a way that honors the intellectual and political accomplishments of our forebearers, without diminishing the changes in culture that our country has gone through. We should be able to applaud genius when we see it, but remember the darker aspects of the same characters. The failures of our past leaders should be used to hold our modern conscience accountable. We are unable to hold ourselves accountable without discussing these failures.
We live in a day where our republic is becoming more inclusive and democratic than ever. Without acknowledging the truth behind our history and reflecting on the sins of our past, our republic will not achieve the level of inclusion that it wants. New ideas and new leaders will feel shut-out and uncared for by a government that has long been opposed to their inclusion. The sins of our past can be acknowledged and even rectified, but only with a commitment to truth.
Jakob Sherrard is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2023. He is studying political science at the University of Louisville.