@hanshotfirst , this is a very succinct way to guide the conversation and illuminate the concepts in a way that quickly gel in the head of a young teen.
My particular problem is with my first grader (6 yrs old) who is already being conditioned to be aligned with a particular country before he even has a firm understanding of the language he is using every morning as he faces the flag (the Pledge!). This structured indoctrination of the public school system is certainly conditioning students minds in a particular way well before they arrive in your class to gain a different perspective on things. Needless to say, I have many conversations with my 6 year old where I wrack my brain in an attempt to bring things down to his level so he starts off his public school education from a questioning perspective (without instilling in him a pure "rejectionist" sort of mentality (eg: ugh, red/white/blue = bad). This is a very delicate dance but something I find myself battling constantly in order to make certain that he is conscious of what the school is literally forcing him to do everyday/why/and what the real meaning of things happens to be...heavy stuff to attempt with a 6 year old.
Further to the above, I periodically substitute for grade 2-4 (just to keep my eyes on what my son is getting ready to be faced with). The textbooks are impressively lacking thought, analysis or balance. I'm not expecting Howard Zinn for 3rd graders (though I think it would be a great balancing act :) but what they are forced fed is scary at best, just the next step in indoctrination from my son's perspective. Lies delivered as cold facts meant to be regurgitated. Yikes, I've forgotten how bad this is not having been in grade school in many, many years.
My point? Don't know that I have one other than to say you have a pipeline leading into your efforts that is composed of state-loving little people...god bless you for actually imparting some knowledge, offering up some alternative views of how the world actually works. It is up to knowledgeable parents to help kids learn how to question and responsible teachers to deviate from the state's propaganda.