In response to:
Yes, the Trail of Tears was a great moral failure not just of Andrew Jackson and the party he led but pf the United States. The same is true for many of the other events Hawkins describes, particularly those involving racism. Let our children learn more about such issues in the history of our nation.
For example, one will virtually never hear that the Palmer Raids, Prohibition, or American eugenics were thoroughly progressive phenomena. These are sins America itself must atone for. Meanwhile, real or alleged “conservative” misdeeds — say McCarthyism — are always the exclusive fault of conservatives and a sign of the policies they would repeat if given power. The only culpable mistake that liberals make is failing to fight “hard enough” for their principles. Liberals are never responsible for historic misdeeds because they feel no compulsion to defend the inherent goodness of America. Conservatives, meanwhile, not only take the blame for...
No sale.
(And by 'nice' I mean like the Old English 'nyse' meaning 'fool,' from the Latin 'nix' meaning 'ignorant.')