Great article. I do think that young people should know the history of their country but I think that telling young people to remember only the events of the early 19th century and forget our recent past is not only unreasonable but a mistake. To understand what America stands for now, it is natural to look at modern history not founding history.

You would call it unhealthy for any person to respond to severe guilt with aggression and blind commitment to what they were doing before. What makes it more acceptable on a national level?

America has hurt other countries — crippling them politically, economically, and culturally in our quest to police the world. I think our collective guilt is a healthy reaction to that. Yes another country may take the spotlight from the USA for the next 100 years.

So what?