I think that it is heartbreaking that the curriculum the state of Utah has given to U.S. history teachers does not include the majority of the history of how Native Americans were, and are, treated by the U.S. government. A surprising amount of students don’t know hardly anything about independent Native American nations, even though we live in a state with a large amount of reservation and independent nation land. This seems dangerous to me to raise the youth in Utah ignorant of a significant minority in the state. They need to be informed about these reservations and the ways that an independent nation works.
Students also need to know about the history between the U.S. and Native Americans. Learning about the terrible things that occurred to the Native Americans is not a negative thing. It is a positive thing. It leads to the youth of Utah becoming informed and more compassionate tolerant people as they understand another group’s hardship.
Admitting that a wrong was done does not make our nation and state weak. It makes us strong as we focus on improvements made and improvements the future holds.
Abby Blatter, Ogden
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