American History as Rorschach Test

DeSantis’s efforts align with Donald Trump’s. The president has long criticized the Pulitzer Prize–winning “1619 Project,” and signed an executive order in 2020 that created the 1776 Commission to promote “patriotic education” and “the miracle of American history.”For its new curriculum, Florida recommends one textbook, Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story, by Wilfred McClay, a professor of history at Hillsdale College who has suggested that he dipped into high-school-textbook writing partly to counteract the influence of the enormously popular Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States, which more takes the approach of letting teenagers in on their country’s dark secrets. McClay’s approach is, to use a neutral word, brighter. He mentions slavery plenty but does not get into gritty details, and most of the story is told from the perspective of American political leaders, who tend to be white men. The leaders, for the most part, are flawed but have good intentions.American patriotism is not just trending downward; it’s plummeting, especially lately. A recent Gallup poll was titled “American Pride Slips to New Lows.” McClay partly blames history class, which he thinks isn’t teaching students a “love of country.” This week on Radio Atlantic, I talk with McClay about whether to background or foreground the sins of your country, and what you gain and lose from either approach.The following is a transcript of the episode:Hanna Rosin: Happy 250th