Mark Parent
Opinions Editor

We don’t love our history anymore.

It’s true. These days, we’re content to bask in the glories of our own moral superiority, while blithely criticizing the faults of our forefathers.

You see, we’re told by many of our contemporaries — professors, politicians and know-it-all college students — that previous generations are backward and stupid. In fact, society tells us that we should be quick to point out the bigotry and various phobias our ancestors held in order to justify their swift condemnation.

Of course, there are many in our generation — we’re the main offenders here — who have resisted this urge to wallow in the sins of the past, while omitting the many glories and triumphs endured by those both remembered and forgotten by the grand sweep of history.

Yet, these supporters of our traditions and values — myself included — have been hesitant to stand up to the current culture of historical revision and speak boldly in support of our past.

Now, I’m sure many of you are currently wondering what kind of assault on history is actually taking place in our culture. Well, it mainly has to do with our unyielding desire for moral perfection.

With that being said, let me begin by making a bold claim: American history is the greatest in the world and should be treasured by all of its citizens.

What’s so great about that statement is that it makes college students’ blood boil.

In fact, within a few weeks of arrival at UNC-Greensboro, many students chug the “America is awful” Kool-Aid and begin embracing victimhood and America-bashing as a means of countering our evil empire.

The common reasons for detesting America lie in our history of racism, bigotry and sense of superiority among other nations.

All of these complaints are, for various reasons, unwarranted and misunderstood.

So, let’s begin with the most divisive issue that continues to plague American history: racism.

Even to this day, racism continues to wreak havoc on America. There is no question that it is wrong, stupid and narrow-minded. Unfortunately, this attitude toward racism — which, I would contend, is overwhelmingly prevalent — does have a few very loud detractors that either undermine or exploit racial tensions for their own gain.

Nevertheless, recent debates over race have opened up a new line of attack that targets historical figures.

Whether it’s Thomas Jefferson at William and Mary and the University of Missouri, Woodrow Wilson at Princeton or George Washington at the University of Texas, there have been growing calls for the abolition of memorials bearing their names.

This moral crusade to cleanse colleges of “racist” figures is simply misguided.

Now, before anyone jumps to their own conclusion, let me say that none of the aforementioned American presidents — and many of their contemporaries — should be excused for their rather blatant racial biases. Instead, they should be understood as being flawed men who ultimately guided the country in a positive direction on the issue of race.

After all, Washington personally chose democracy over authoritarianism for his new country; Jefferson wrote the 55 most famous words in democratic politics — the preamble of the Declaration of Independence; Wilson — whom I personally dislike — expanded the federal government in a manner that eventually increased representation and democratic ideals.

And on top of that, each of these men were products of their times.

At the time of our nation’s founding, slavery was prevalent in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Of course, this fact doesn’t make their views morally correct, but it does put them in perspective.

Wilson, on the other hand, was just a liberal racist. However, he did make some ill-fated contributions to the American Constitution and field of international relations. Yet, I suppose my objectivity is a bit blown by my apparent ideological bias against him, so feel free to disregard my arguments on his behalf.

The fact of the matter is that in every era of history, there have been bad ideas and unfortunate prejudices. Nevertheless, we should value the historical figures of that age in their proper context and then judge them.

If these actors prove to be racist in spite of prevailing attitudes and act upon those biases in a negative fashion, then their memory belongs on the ash-heap of history.

This is especially important for every student at this university.

As many of you know, there has been a long debate surrounding the name of the Aycock Auditorium — which bears the name of Charles B. Aycock.

Aycock, a former governor of our state, was an admitted white supremacist who also contributed a vast amount of time and energy to improving the public education system.

Now, I’m not going to offer an opinion either way on this issue, but I will urge all students to place Aycock and his actions into proper context before deciding his fate.

If we all thoughtfully engage in this process, then both history and our university will be rightfully honored.

Certainly, this is the most fair and accurate way to view our forefathers. After all, we should celebrate Washington’s subordination of personal glory and Jefferson’s unwavering commitment to the rights of man. And by the same token, we should condemn Nathaniel Bedford Forrest and Ross Barnett.

Lastly, I think it’s important to understand that people are not perfect. We all make mistakes and hold views that posterity may deem “backward.” And I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my great-grandchildren to think of me as being morally inferior.

In fact, as I sit at my desk and write this article, I can’t help but glance over at my dresser and stare at my family’s genealogical history book.

You see, every time I open that particular book, this entire debate becomes personal. The reason for this elevation lies in the simple reality that history is truly shaped by ordinary men and women that taught proper — and to an extent amenable — values to their children.

On a personal note, I certainly hope that my descendants will be better human beings than I ever dreamt of being, and I would wager you feel the same way.

So remember this: your forebears may not have shared your worldviews but would be proud that you’re following your conscience and standing for what is right.

It is for this reason alone that we all should love history.