They have been taught very little history and do not have basic knowledge concerning the War of 1812, the Civil War, WWI, and yes even WWII and Korea. This is not the fault of the young. the main problem, in my opinion, is the P.C. that has caused the omission of our history from current text books. They are eager to learn but there is no venue available to them.
How do we encourage a reversal of this P.C. trend which has been occurring since the 1940s or perhaps much earlier?
We as a few curious and dedicated researchers are the only ones that maintain an interest. On a personal basis I have three file drawers stuffed full of documents concerning the Civil War and our ancestors. Many of these files validate family that originated in the Netherlands in about 1250, another branch which originated in England in about 1500. All of these ancestors have influenced the American history to some degree. A few statesmen, a few common citizens, and a few scalawags and military deserters but all have effected society. I have so much information in my computers that a single computer does not have sufficient memory to handled the data.
Of the five individuals in my immediately family, only one brother has any interest whatsoever in my research. A few of my sibling has not even responded to my request for their spouse and children's birth dates. My research of their birthdays was obtained from our family Bible. In the few short years that I have remaining in my life I will continue research for my own learning curve, but it is a safe bet that my demise will cause my work to be consigned to the trash heap....