“The past is never dead; it’s not even past.” – William Faulkner, Requiem for a Nun
In my former life as an adjunct professor of U.S. History, I started every syllabus with this quotation, as a way of suggesting to my students the undeniable connection between the past and the present. History does not merely repeat itself, as the cliché says; for better or worse, history permeates our political and popular culture, provides the foundation for our government and society, echoes in the memories of our parents and grandparents, and thus affects our daily experiences.