What an utter tragedy we’re witnessing in Ukraine! Good teachers might see it as a “teachable moment,” perhaps using the popular comparison with Hitler’s invasion of Poland as a way to launch an exploration of Nazi Germany and WWII. But in New Hampshire, what public teachers could not do, for fear of violating the “divisive concepts” law, would be to compare the Russian invasion and forced exodus to the massive displacement of Native Americans under the Indian Removal Act of 1830.
Both events involve invasions and massive displacements westward along various trails of tears and tragedy. There are, of course, differences. With one, there were no trains, humanitarian aid, real refuge at the end of the line, or hope of return. But nonetheless, both are similarly profound human calamities. In other states, those good teachers might point out that such invasions and displacements are fairly common in world history and not simply the occasional act of a fanatical Communist or Nazi. Then they might invite an exploration of what human motivations prompt this sort of inhumanity, and how a society with humanitarian aspirations might work hard to counteract those influences and commit itself to avoiding gigantic atrocities and perhaps even much smaller ones. Public education here used to be a good place to promote important, patriotic explorations of this sort. But, as Hitler might say, those explorations are now verboten.
Paul Levy
Concord