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At this point the debate over multicultural viewpoints stumbled into a philosophical muddle from which it has yet to emerge. Broadening the base of available knowledge was one thing, and an admirable one at that. Thanks to the proddings and scholarship of the multiculturalists, histories of the U.S. have grown remarkably more inclusive, representative and accurate. Oldsters who spent time in school learning that Myles Standish was too bashful to propose to Priscilla Mullens and had to ask John Alden to do it for him (to which Priscilla is apocryphally said to have replied, "Why don't you speak for yourself, John?") may now wonder why teachers never found a few minutes for Harriet Tubman or W.E.B. Du Bois.
In 1987 California adopted a new social-studies curriculum for its public schools, from kindergarten through the 12th grade, that is widely regarded as a model of its kind. The course of study pays great attention to the variety of world cultures; it also "recognizes the multiracial character of American society, now and in the past." Yet the conceptual focus for all this information remains fixed on the challenge of becoming an educated American citizen. The syllabus "teaches democratic values and holds them up as a measure against which we may judge ourselves as well as others."
But amplified histories did not satisfy some multiculturalists, including a number of influential African-American scholars, who objected that new wine was simply being poured into the same old bottle. The central narrative of the American saga was still white and European, as were most of the main characters; filling the background with a smattering of minorities did not remove this problem.
Inconveniently enough, this "problem" cannot be accurately erased. North America was populated by a number of indigenous peoples long before the Europeans arrived, but the society that evolved and that persists today was modeled on Western examples. More specifically, the influence of the British, who held and ruled the original 13 colonies, is inescapable. The language, the system of representative government, the structure of law and the emphasis on individual liberty were all adopted from the Enlightenment ideals being formulated in what was once known as the mother country. Other basic American principles, such as the idea of the separation of powers, which is fundamental to the American Constitution, derive from the French philosopher Montesquieu.
It is an article of faith among most multiculturalists that no system of values is innately superior to any other; all cultures are created equal. As a way of looking at the world, this notion has considerable merit. It is, among other things, a useful corrective to chauvinisms and insularities. But to describe the Western tradition as just one of many equally important contributors to the American identity is to make hash of history, and of one of history's boldest experiments.