Are You a Student of History

Obviously strong skills in reading and writing are needed to function in the modern world. And a basic understanding of math, science, art, and technology is also useful in becoming a productive member of society. However, History is in many ways the neglected step child and by history I am also talking about civic education. Aside from language skills people use their knowledge of history more than any other discipline, unless your profession falls in one of the other fields but even then you still need history. Some examples:

• History allows you to better understand movies, music, the arts, and stuff you read in the newspaper.
• History provides the background knowledge and skills needed to vote effectively, asses validity, identify bias and propaganda.
• In a multicultural society, history provides the mortar that holds the nation together brick by brick.
• History teaches the basics of government at the local, state, and federal levels.
• History allows you to connect with the community by understanding its past.
• And most importantly, history prepares you when selecteded to be on Jeopardy, so you can kick some ass on the Revolutionary America topic.

So knowing some history is important, but are you a student of history. Ideally that's what I want everyone to be. Not a student in the sense of someone taking a class but instead a person who values history and uses it in their lives every day to make better decisions and be a better person.

 

So what do you do to be a student of history?

 

First you have to forget who you are! You heard me right. While our inclination is to judge history based on our modern perspective, initially you must avoid that. Forget you are male or female; black, white, brown, or any other color; protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, or Mormon; poor, rich, once poor and now rich, or strictly middle class. Why? Historians call it presentism. You want to avoid the trap of presentism or the need to evaluate and judge past actions based on contemporary criteria. You must learn and examine history first from the point of view of someone living at the time. When you do that honestly, you will gain a better understanding of that period in history and why people did or acted in certain ways. Example: Pretend you are the average American on December 8, 1941. You have read the newspaper about the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor the day before. A few months later FDR issues Executive Order 9044 which will send some 110,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps for the next four years. How do you feel about that? How do you react? You're probably pissed seeing photos of dying Americans and ships settling to the bottom of Pearl Harbor. Likely, you do not care or you are glad FDR Locked the enemy up. You have now become a student of history by evaluating an action and event on its own merits.

 

Butttt...buttt...buttt....

 

I know. It was still a horrendous violation of civil rights. Once you take out the presentism and understand it for what it is, now you can safely make a judgment from a more modern point of view. It was a terrible decision by FDR that violated umpteen number of amendments with no real evidence to support the conclusion. Now you are truly being a student of history because you recognize the reason for the action but then offer an evaluation and understanding of why it was wrong. Now that approach is a lot more effective than saying FDR was a dumbass.

 

Second, you have to read history critically. And by reading that could be watching something on TV or at the theater, listening to it on the radio, or seeing it in a museum. To read critically you must first identify the source or author. Do they have a certain political view? Are they biased? What is their qualification for doing what they are doing? When watching a documentary by Michael Moore keep in mind he is an outspoken progressive and among the most liberal democrats out there. Or, if it is a documentary produced by the National Rifle Association about the 2nd Amendment we know it will be biased in favor of that freedom. Some other things to think about when reading history is to ask yourself: When is this taking place? Where is it taking place? What else is going on at the time? Answers to these questions will give you perspective on the issue, providing the proper context to fully understand it. Ask questions as you read. If the piece includes some statistics, does it say where those came from or how they were derived. If there is a term or reference to a historical person, event, or movement, then note it and look it up. You really have no excuses not to with the popularity of smart phones and tablets. Those tools can be used for so much more than texting, chatting, buying songs, or following the Dodgers game.

 

Finally, use what you know about history. Believe me this is the scariest part (and I have a master's degree in it). Go beyond your comfort zone. Maybe you know the answer to that Jeopardy question, surprise your spouse and shout it out, reveling in the glory that you just won $200 (in pretend money). If your best friend starts a conversation about her decision to vote yes on Proposition 24 but seems to ignore some of the facts, let her know it will cost the tax payer 20 million dollars over the next three years. The next time someone talks about being apolitical because politics is so ugly and full of personal attacks, let them know that headlines were nastier and editorials published anonymously two hundred years ago. Historical ignorance is running rampant in this country and it's having a profound impact on the direction we are headed. So go beyond your comfort zone at least one step. Maybe in a few months take another step. Be part of the solution and not part of the problem.

 

Now there is a lot more to becoming a student of history but this is plenty to chew on right now.

 

In closing, i challenge you. For every piece of fiction you read follow it with some nonfiction and make every other nonfiction choice a book on history. There are numerous lists on the internet that will offer suggestions on lots of history topics to help you out. So for the one book a month reader, make three of them something dealing with history over the next year. I'll even make a recommendation right now. Read Killing Lincoln or Killing Kennedy. "But aren't those written by that right-wingnut Bill O'Reilly?" Yes they are but O'Reilley has a degree in history and the books are apolitical, very well researched, and written for the common person and not some academic intelligentsia. Also, stay up to date with some history blogs (like this one). I hope by following these simple suggestions everyone becomes a student of history.

 

(Note: My blog will be transforming itself in the coming month or two by focusing more on history. My goal to do what I just talked about, developing students of history in all of us. The blog will most likely move to Wordpress and be more professional in appearance. I too am going to go beyond my comfort zone by promoting the blog nationally. I am passionate about history and want to share it with others.)

 

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