# U.S. History Has Plenty of Good and Bad. Here’s How to See Both.

1 Opinion December 4, 2022 The Wall Street Journal ![Dolly Chugh Headshot](/sites/default/files/styles/246w/public/assets/images/Dolly%20Chugh%20Article.jpg?itok=7UdD9CUD) By Dolly Chugh >

At times this year our headlines were as much about past events as current events. Debates over what to teach our children about the past, how to preserve and present the past, and who to commemorate from the past divided and exhausted us.

While there may be some Americans who wish to only share the best or worst of our past, I believe that most of us are willing to broaden our understanding of our country’s history to look at both the best *and* the worst. But we often can’t—not for intellectual reasons but because of unrecognized psychological ones. Understanding those psychological roadblocks is a formidable challenge. But it’s crucial to do so if we want to get past them.

Let’s begin with the four reasons our minds sometimes make it hard to have a more honest, nuanced view of our history.

Read the full [*The Wall Street Journal* article](https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-history-teaching-good-and-bad-11670111812).
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*Dolly Chugh is an Associate Professor of Management and Organizations.*## More from Dolly Chugh

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