Slavery’s place in U.S. history has once again become a flashpoint in public discourse. On one hand, President Donald Trump has criticized Smithsonian institutions, including the National Museum of African American History, for focusing too much on “how horrible our country is, how bad slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.” He laments the absence of stories about “success,” “brightness” and “the future.” On the other hand, Florida’s new educational standards require students to learn that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.”