Excellant article...thanks for posting.
I love the last line!
Colonial Williamsburg moved to present an updated and more socially oriented version of colonial history through the leadership of the Harvard-educated historian Cary Carson. Calling his approach "Becoming Americans," Carson attempted to integrate social history with the town's traditional presentation of political history. For instance, a tour called "According to the Ladies" introduced visitors to the lives of Williamsburg women. Historical interpreters began to portray slaves for the first time, and in 1988 slave cabins were reconstructed at Carter's Grove, an eighteenth-century plantation about five miles outside of Williamsburg. We're going to have to show rebellion, violence and racism in a way we haven't done at Williamsburg," Rex Ellis, the assistant director of African American interpretation for Colonial Williamsburg, told the New York Times at the time. "How we do that is extremely important. We must be true to the record or we stand in danger of rewriting history ourselves. The subject of slavery is certainly painful, which is one of the reasons it needs to be dealt with. We need to learn from all of history, including the uncomfortable parts of history."
Sure, that will get the average family to come ... make them uncomfortable.
Better yet, show them slaves whipped and sold:
This attitude certainly marked a sea change at Colonial Williamsburg, but sometimes efforts at social history became too uncomfortable. An attempt to reenact an eighteenth-century slave auction, which included the separation of families, led to such intense reactions on the parts of staff, participants, and visitors that the event was never repeated.
This is part and parcel of the science and practice of victimology. “I’m a victim, and if I’m not a victim, I’m part of a group that was victimized, so I’m better than you. You owe me.” And white liberals say “right on” because it makes them feel that they are “down with the struggle.” (Whatever that means).