Friday, June 19, 2015

Got History?



There are surveys indicating that many Americans think history is boring. Given that, I doubt if those individuals read much of it. [If they don't, I hope they don't vote.] It is difficult to understand what is going on today without a reasonably good grasp of what took place earlier, not just in this country but around the world. The actions of Cyrus the Great and Augustus Caesar have much to teach us about modern times and there is always more to learn.

That last part should instill humility in anyone who believes that he or she has been steeped in history for the subject is not a dry recitation of facts - although the idea that school children don't need to know when World War I started is nuts - but also a collection of interpretations. Look at the arguments over the origins of the French Revolution or whether the American Civil War was sparked by slavery or states' rights or whether the evidence justified toppling Saddam and you get a sense of how history is not always set in stone. Just as two people can witness the same event and walk away with opposite interpretations so too can historians draw highly conflicting conclusions.

And that's what makes it both fun and a great mental exercise.

It should be one of the most popular subjects in school and we should be students for life.

2 comments:

Wally Bock said...

I believe that a possible interpretation of the survey data is that too many history teachers are boring.

Michael Wade said...

Wally,

I agree. It requires a special skill to take interesting material and make it boring.

On the other hand, many a student has overcome the effects of terrible instructors.

Michael