Well, that doesn't really answer the question I had. Here is why.
Are we talking about myself, where what I would like to know when picking up a scholar's book or article? I would like to see that author's true attempt to convey the truth of his narrative to the best of his or her ability.
Are we talking about a young school child? Do I want the young child to know that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson owned slaves, that much of Washington D.C. was built by the hands of slaves without due respect, that many Africans and African Americans fought in our wars proudly without receiving their due respect from their white peers, that the citizenry was not expected to be as politically involved as they are now, that certain Presidents didn't want certain groups of people to even be born? Or would I have them learn about Honest Abe, how George Washington couldn't tell a lie, that we live in a good country where freedom and liberty are deeply treasured?
Do we tell the good facts, the bad facts, or the historical fictions? I would like my child to start off with a positive, if not somewhat fictionalized beginning so I could steadily approach my child to see the complications of history and how we do not have to accept all that transpired, but that we also cannot entirely demonize it. When children are young they are easily manipulated, when they grow older, they have a disproportionate attraction to the ideal, then eventually, they are able to face the complications of reality. History challenges people at every turn in their lives, and we must be careful with how we challenge them.