We’ve heard our teachers or others repeat the elegant validation for learning history: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”

The saying originated from 19th century Spain, in a book by Spanish American essayist George Santayana. But looking at our recent history, it seems that Santayana’s warning is not being heeded — mere academics can’t stop our constant re-enactment of historical missteps.

Our American history curriculum places emphasis on studying the past to lend students — and presumably future leaders — varied perspectives and avoid historical mistakes. But the current conduct of the American government shows that the sins of our fathers continue to be repeated in the modern day.

And the sins are numerous. Despite California State Standards demanding that all fourth graders learn about Native Americans and the injustice committed against them, the American government continues to tread on Native Americans’ freedoms.

One would think that the actual American government would reflect some of the basic values imparted in an elementary school classroom.

However, the current administration has perpetuated the American tradition of assaulting the Native American community. For evidence, look no further than the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The project runs through the few remaining bits of Native American territory. Not only was the pipeline never reviewed by environmental regulators (which the company in charge of overseeing construction refuses to do), but the Lakota Sioux tribe will likely never approve of a pipeline cutting through their homeland. Police have arrested or shot with rubber bullets those peacefully exercising their right to assemble and protest, but it’s safe to say that not many citizens actually care about what is happening in this remote part of the U.S., never mind the citizens crafting the fourth grade history curriculum.

Now, jumping to freshman year World Geography, it was part of the curriculum to learn how Europe had carved up the Middle East in 1918, but did so in no regards to culture or resources. It was an action that many historians agree was done haphazardly, but America may soon commit this offense yet again by involving itself in the Israel-Palestine border dispute.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, America found itself in the Industrial Revolution. Eventually, workers gained some basic rights. It was a huge step forward for common people.

But despite this success, we continue to impose the same cruel labor conditions to people across the globe, and continue to allow the exploitation of child labor in nations such as Bangladesh, where Abercrombie & Fitch locked over 3,000 workers into a building. In harsh conditions, workers only get paid 12 cents per hour, and they work 100-hour work weeks.

In our American History classes, we learned that the factories of the North exploited their workers in much the same way that the South exploited its slaves. Perhaps our modern-day industrialists have forgotten.

We cannot constantly repeat the mistakes of the past and hope that, just maybe, this time things will turn out better. On one hand, the history curriculum assumes that a clinical analysis of the past will translate into worldly empathy. On the other hand, instructors are not capable of translating facts into future wisdom for every student.

One thing that may help translate is instead of detachedly learning history, students should also be taught to apply history and draw parallels to modern-day events. Therefore, as leaders students will be able to reach reasonable solutions by drawing parallels to historical moments.

As a society, we are prone to mistakes, sometimes very problematic ones. But it is when we make the same mistake twice, three times or more, we must question the competence of not only our leaders, but also the effectiveness of the education our nation is receiving.