It's good to know where we came from. If we don't learn about the mistakes society has made we wouldn't be able to know what NOT to do.
You do have a great point though; Dwelling on the past dooms us to repeat it. When a difficult situation comes up and we don't know how to deal with it, the first thing we think of is what has already been done. Unfortunately most people don't realize that and act upon their initial reaction very quickly, due to the fear of what might happen if one more moment is spent thinking of another answer.
We must teach history so the youth can learn from our mistakes, but we must also teach the values of critical thinking so they understand why we keep repeating the same mistakes and learn to devise new solutions by the time they have the power.
