ABSTRACT
Historical memory is labeled the key to the connectedness with all humankind. History should teach us to see matters through others' eyes, without requiring that we approve or forgive. Standards should be demanding, and promote active questioning rather than passive absorption. Standards should be applied to all students equally; no "dumbed-down" curricula that deny equal opportunity to large numbers of children. In the context of American history, the functional equivalent of multiculturalism is "diversity." If, then, the US standards are not grossly unbalanced in terms of coverage, they do explain the "deeper meaning" of American history in terms of minority and female struggle versus white male oppression. The standards came into existence because of the widespread realization that young people are largely ignorant of history. Now that the project has borne fruit, it is clear that people had different ideas as to what students are ignorant of.
