| Abstract | [Inspired by two recent events about which I wrote on Monday, this week’s series has focused on the complex question of whether and how America should apologize for historic wrongs. Leading up to this special weekend post featuring broader thoughts from both me and fellow AmericanStudiers—add yours, please!][Inspired by two recent events about which I wrote on Monday, this week’s series has focused on the complex question of whether and how America should apologize for historic wrongs.Yet at the same time, many Americans seem particularly paranoid about the possibility of collective apologies, to the point where (as I wrote in this long-ago post) we’re 150 years out from slavery with no national slavery museum, compared for example to the speed with which Germany built a Stasi Museum.Such collective memories offer the best possible response to the paranoid fears of “apologizing for America,” reminding us that it’s often been in our darkest moments that our most inspiring figures and histories can be found.I like to show my students the videos of Pres.Other responses or thoughts?
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