In previous stories, we've looked at how textbooks are selected for students, how textbooks can be biased, and impacts that can have. As we look ahead, we may want to ask ourselves how history will remember these times of unrest and why it matters.

"History brings the community to where it is," said Whitesboro Historian Dana Nimey-Olney. "It brings each person to where they are, to how the world works. It all is based somewhere, and it's based in history."

Professors and historians agree, what we understand about the past influences how we see the world today, and currently, we see a lot of contention. How history was taught to us may have had a hand in it.

"There is a tendency on the one hand, and if I could go ahead and say so, on the political "right" to sort of white-wash American history and to excise from the account of American history those parts of our history most difficult, that don't reflect as well on the country," said Colgate University Political Science Professor Nina Moore.

On the other hand, Moore points out many people considered on the political "left" are removing monuments and statues.

"If a historical account of the past, of the events, of the facts of the past, is to be both accurate and also useful, then we have to have a more comprehensive account including the parts that are the most comfortable as well as the parts that the alternate viewpoint has to offer," she said.

Some say fact-based, balanced journalism has a role in this too.

"I wouldn't be surprised if the stories you publish are gonna have a greater impact, at least, a greater audience than the books I write because you've got a wider audience. I write for a very specific audience," said Utica College Distinguished Professor of East Asian History David Wittner.

He also oversees their Center for Historical Research, which takes personal submissions for documenting local history here.

But it's not just journalists and historians who should exercise responsibility in being factual and balanced so we can accurately learn from our past. Now, anyone can post almost anything true or untrue, objective or subjective, influencing anyone, on the internet.

Moore says it's important many perspectives, whether cultural, political, or others are included when recording history.

"It's optimal if we can find a way to include all of those perspectives and the kinds of information they offer, and only then can we have a more comprehensive account. I have a saying that history is really a question of his story, her story, and then the truth," Moore said.

So, what will history remember about these days? Only time will tell.