While the impulse to excise men such as Pierce and Grant from our national autobiography with a hearty “Good riddance” is understandable, there’s a risk in doing so. Sanitizing history prevents us from seeing the warning signs of another Haun’s Mill, Mountain Meadows, or Rock Springs. These incidents occurred so long ago they’re almost unreal now, and the idea that similar massacres and riots could take place in our own time seems impossible. Such atrocities always do—right up until the moment they happen again.
