A people, it appears, must have a history if it is to be a people, and a state must have both if it is to count as a legitimate construction, and be recognized by everyone as such. No less importantly, at least in the eyes of some, what history has wrought creates obligations that bind future generations, who owe something to their ancestors—not just a debt of gratitude for their earlier efforts but also a duty to continue their work and preserve the edifice their forebears have bequeathed. Out of history’s sound and fury comes a message: continue this work of generations, today and into the
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