Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, among others, emphasize the principle of individual accountability, as in the Book of Ezekiel, where it says, “The child will not share the guilt of the parent.” The principle is also embedded in our legal system; the United States Constitution prohibits penalties for family members of those convicted of treason. If property is to be forfeited, the Constitution says, this must occur during the offender’s lifetime. Even the Potawatomi and the U.S. government agreed in 1815 that “every injury or act of hostility by one or either . . . shall be mutually forgiven and forgot.” Guilt can be established only in an individual, who must be afforded an opportunity to face his accuser and give his own account. Collective guilt, whether argued by research paper or genealogical study, has no justification.

Too many teachers are replacing these essential legal and ethical principles with notions of collective guilt for “white males” and others born hundreds of years after certain lands were supposedly stolen. We hope that students and parents will recognize the real purpose behind this fact-challenged revisionism: to promote division in our society by manufacturing and prolonging resentment for personal and political gain.