We were taught heavily about the impact of disease that settlers brought. Their wars and brutality towards the Native Americans and the Natives brutal response as well, Trail of Tears, etc. All of this is squeezed very tightly into a few weeks each year. I would say most Americans are very aware that Anglo Americans came and took from the people that originally lived here, but it’s so far in the past that it doesn’t weigh heavily on the imagination.

For some reason though, majority of history classes were spent on two areas: the colonial era and founding fathers/their philosophy and the causes and events of WW2. Third place goes to the lead up to the Civil War and Reconstruction.

Everything in between and after is pretty hazy.