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It seemed to start with the assassination of JFK. We were told over and over again that his death was because something was wrong with us and we believed it. We never hear about the attempts and successes against other presidents, except for Abraham Lincoln. We decided as a nation that it was unfair to shield our children from reality, so we started explaining why we were so poor (frankly, we never thought too much about being poor when I was a kid) so they could worry about getting through the month as much as we adults did. We started teaching about the bad things to children of elementary school age. I'm sure it is better to know about the Trail of Tears before you graduate from high school, but not in the elementary years when we are learning what social studies really are - how to get along in our society and what makes it up. We decided that the rich are evil (I wouldn't have gotten through life as a kid without Carnegie Libraries), that they earn their money through evil deeds and that they do evil things with it. I wonder if this is part of why so many kids don't have any reason to want more education and training so they can do better financially. My husband and I are 2nd generation Americans (he is first generation on his mother's side) and feel lucky to be living here and having the opportunities we have to do well. I feel no pride of place in the country of my grandparents' origins. This is my country and I have lived my life trying to do the best I can by it and its people. What we should be ashamed of is being ashamed.

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Well said, Larry. I think of Turkey, Mexico, Russia, Vietnam, Lebanon, Brazil, China, or anyplace else people emigrate from to get to America. There seems to be no shortage of nationalism or pride of heritage in any of those countries, nor am I aware of them teaching their students about all the "wrongs" perpetuated in its history. That's especially remarkable, since many of those countries have been around much, much longer than the US and been guilty of far worse crimes against humanity. So many of our students seem to think American history consists only of The Trail of Tears, slavery, the Japanese internment camps, and segregated lunch counters. Their education doesn't say much (if anything) about the millions of men (black and white and every other color, plus women) who've died defending freedom not only for us, but for countless other nations, especially during the 20th century. In case after case, America defended itself from aggression or threat, counter-attacked the enemy nation & overthrew its regime...then proceeded to bequeath a free country & fair elections to its residents. It's what Memorial Day is all about - why aren't kids of all colors being taught this in public schools anymore? If they are, I'm not hearing about it.