Personally, I think that stories should remain authentic to history. Characters should fit into the roles that society would have placed them in if they had actually existed in that time period. If society was oppressing women in the early 1900s, it is inauthentic to place a culturally-accepted strong female protagonist into that particular time period. If female power is the goal, then present these characteristics in an appropriate manner. For example, tell a story about a girl who tries to gain some footing in early 1900s society but is ultimately shut down by those around her. While this hypothetical book would still relay the message of feminism, it would achieve it through a more authentic way.
Censoring or altering what happened in history is only sheltering children from the truth. While we can spare all of the gory details until they mature, it is still necessary to tell the (relative) truth about history. It is important to tell it from different perspectives - slave and slave owner, Jew and Nazi, Confederates and Unionists, Native Americans and colonists, and so on. This gives children an expansive knowledge of history, that perhaps they may want to engage in learning further about these controversial topics.
I think it depends. For the most part, I agree and believe history should be kept authentic when retelling stories to children. This is important because kids should know the truth to how the world used to work and understand how times have changed. Telling stories that consist of lies to make them less inhumane, will only confuse kids when they later learn the authentic version. I think there is an appropriate way to teach young kids about important parts of history, and reading a narrative is a great way to do so without making it to harsh or gory. As a future teacher, I would select stories that are not too gruesome. Instead, tell historical stories that provide children with knowledge but nothing that would lead to controversy on whether or not they are mature enough to be exposed to certain details.
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