History is not optional
Historical memory helps citizens recognize abused power, defend established rights and understand when institutions are being changed around them today.
A free people cannot protect what they no longer remember.
History is not simply a record of the past. It gives citizens the knowledge to recognize abuses of power, understand how rights were won and judge whether institutions remain faithful to their purposes.
In this installment of “This Matters,” Bill Britt examines why historical memory is essential to self-government—not because America has always lived up to its ideals, but because generations of Americans have confronted its failures and fought to make the nation more faithful to its promises.
Because a people who forget how freedom was won may not recognize when it is being lost.
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