The publication of your Milestone Documents series could not have come at a better time. Our nation seems more divided now than at any time I can remember in my adult life, and the perpetuation of this divide is a disturbing trend.

Neil, your call to “deemphasize the textbook and move toward a document-based, inquiry-based system of learning” deserves serious attention. By presenting pivotal moments in our history within their complex context, Milestone Documents can help readers understand that our multitudinous differences–and the realization that those differences deserve respect–fueled this country’s very formation.

As a lifelong learner, a nonfiction editor, and the mother of a high school student, I urge teachers to nurture thoughtful inquiry in our young people. Encourage their questions, and help them to see that the answers to those questions can only be found through artful, level-headed compromise. It will take a new generation of open-minded thinkers to navigate the often messy and complicated mix of opposing worldviews, varying motives, and clashing beliefs that make our nation what it is. Utilizing unbiased tools like Milestone Documents can give teachers an edge in fostering informed, balanced, and reasoned thought among their students. Kids can’t sift through the muck without the facts.