The very concept of teaching the history of a country known as a melting pot presents a myriad of inequalities, especially in representation. History curricula should be reviewed and revised more thoroughly and more often. We also found out that Joe McCarthy was a bad man, but history is in the present, and we still live with the resounding effects of the paranoia of the Red Scare.
History can be preventative and inspirational at the same time.
History should be progressive in nature, that's what I think Elson's statement is about.