“All People Are Living Histories-Which is Why History Matters” is an article by Penelope J. Corfield, and answers the question of why the study of history is important and necessary to our society. Corfield makes the claim that history is vital because it connects us to our pasts, and helps us understand our basic human nature. Additionally, Corfield also presents common arguments against and for history, and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. History has always been regarded as something important to know, but at the same time dispensable. The author attempts to overturn this notion by arguing that history is something that we cannot live without. I very much agree with Corfield’s arguments, because I have always felt the same way. …show more content…
Stearns, is another article that argues in favor of the study of history. Stearns claims History should be studied because it is not only a “beautiful” subject, but because more than anything else, it helps us to understand people and societies. For instance, we can learn about a war from our past, and discover the ways in which it still affects our society today. Or, if we want to know why individuals in America are so individualistic and self-sufficient, we must eventually take a look back at history in order to find out the origins of these common American qualities. Stearns compares history to a “laboratory”, a field in which we can test evidence and data in order to discover what makes the human race tick. Additionally, Stearns also provides a long list of other benefits that we can gain from the study of History, such as moral growth, a sense of identity, and various skills that result from its study. The author makes some very good arguments that I definitely agree with, and the point about identity especially resonates with me. Growing up, I listened to relatives telling stories about ancestors on all sides of my family, and the things that happened to them. For example, there are records of the first Truitt arriving in Jamestown in the 1600s, and the oldest brick home in Kentucky was built by my ancestors. To hear these stories really does give me a strong sense of identity and familial pride, so I know exactly what Stearns is
What is history? Many believe that history is what is read in textbooks, or what is seen on the news. If Susan Griffin were asked that question, she would probably argue that history is much more than that. It is about the minds and souls of the people who went through the historical event, not simply what happened. In her essay, Griffin incorporates stories of people from totally different backgrounds, and upbringings, including herself, all to describe their account of one time period. Each person’s history is somehow connected with the next person’s, and each story contr...
People study history because they wish to strengthen human connections. The same can be drawn about the pursuit of genealogy. Whether it be connections to nobility, to a specific ethnic group or a specific event in history, there are diverse motivations to study genealogy According to Francois Weil, “Genealogy provides a powerful lens to understand personal and collective identities.” In essence Weil’s Family Trees: A History of Genealogy in America is a study of American identity over a span of four centuries through a discussion of genealogy and family history.
“Why Western History Matters” is an essay adapted from a speech Donald Kagan delivered to the National Association of Scholars, and was reprinted in the December 28, 1994, issue of the Wall Street Journal. Throughout Kagan’s essay, he describes the essential need for the college course, Western History. He does so by examining older cultures and explaining why they were quintessential to the past and to our future development as a society. I strongly concur with Kagan’s standpoint of the necessity of history, and the realization of how exactly our flourishing society came about. History is a key constituent in determining who we are; for to determine who we are one must first know from whence they came. In the words of George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.
The study of past events have been a common practice of mankind since the verbal telling of stories by our ancestors. William Cronon, in his article “Why the Past Matters,” asserts that the remembrance of the past “keeps us in place.” Our individual memories and experiences shape how we act in our daily lives. In addition to influencing us at an individual level, our collective history binds us together as a society. Without knowing where we have been or what we have experienced, it is nearly impossible to judge progress or know which courses of action to pursue. The goal of the historian is to analyze and explain past events, of which they rarely have firsthand memory of, and apply the gained knowledge to make connections with current and future events.
What more is the point of learning and understanding human history than obtaining the knowledge and structure between what is right and what is wrong? We continuously believe that we as humans have the ability and intellect to learn from the lessons taught in our past in order to enrich our future. In comparison to the time frame that is human history the one hundred year period of time we discussed in the second halve of this semester is nothing but a slight blimp on the map that we have traversed. Yet, throughout our recent readings we can easily assimilate into the idea that although time may pass, and that we may attempt to learn from our history it is simply in human nature to repeat the mistakes that we have
Hart, Diane, Bert Bower, and Jim Lobdell. History alive!:. Palo Alto, Calif.: Teachers' Curriculum Institute, 2002. Print.
It’s truly fascinating how there are so many different approaches to history, how so many different types of minds and schools of thought can come together to study the events of the world’s past. There are so many ways to approach what happened in our past, and the groups of historians previously mentioned are only a fraction of the actual number of different ways of researching and thinking that exists as it pertains to the study of history. History is in some ways, always a mystery, and all historians, regardless of schooling, training or biases, seek to accomplish one goal: to understand what occurred before us and why, and to use that knowledge to learn how the world was shaped into the world we live in today.
It is often said that those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it. It is true that technology has changed civilization and wars have shaped the earth, but, loosely speaking: the duties of man, the importance of knowledge and our morals are still almost the same as they were since the dawn of civilization. For the last 8,500 years man has harvested, learned and practiced righteousness. Yet, man is always progressive. We seek to find the most efficient means of working, learn as much as we can and search for what is meaning of “good”. Man has learned a lot from the past successes and past mistakes making written history possibly our greatest invention. What has happened in written history that we might have overlooked or forgotten? What can we see happening to our nation now that should be avoided due to past failures? And where have we progressed? Our time is compared to many times in history but in this paper we will compare it to Europe in the Middle Ages. How are the Middle Ages in Europe like the U.S. today and how is it different? How is this good and how is this bad?
“Those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it.” This famous quote from Edmund Burke is one that many of us are familiar with. In spite of this, many people disregard history, branding it as unimportant or irrelevant to modern-day situations. However, history is actually a quite important subject with a myriad of lessons to be learned for anybody to apply now and in the future. Additionally, history gives us much needed information about our past, keeping us from forgetting why our nations became the way they are. It allows us to draw parallels between modern events and past events to collect our best judgment and gives us the important knowledge of the origin of our modern world, giving extra credibility
Though our history may bring back horrible memories of the ?grimmest dimensions of human nature? (Limerick 472), it is necessary to have a good historical background. History gives us the ability to improve future outputs, satisfy our unending need for knowledge, and understand how many policies and regulations have come to be. Without history mankind would be very primitive and ununified. Our complete molding of the world today is almost completely dependent on the fact that we study our history. Without history present day humans would be nothing more than cavemen.
Russel B. Nye also shares similarities with McPhee in History, Meaning and Method, saying that "History is a response to the eternal desire of human beings to know about themselves." Nye believes that history is concerned with societies and the individuals who live in these societies. He emphasises the importance of people, their individual choices, the values they hold and the angles of vision by which they have looked at themselves and the world. It is important to look at history if one is to understand how and why men and women have acted together in society. Nye also shares the same view as Bullock in suggesting that "History has the special obligation to recall, reassess and re-interpret the past, bringing it to bear on the present and translating it into a form each new generation can use." Nye believes that history is a social science which requires hypotheses and observations. If we are to make proper use of history, historians have to arrange it in a way that makes it easy for us to identify the facts.
Millions of people have gone great lengths to record every part of the past. We may not know much about the future but we have more than enough information about the past. The knowledge about our past has helped us in many ways. Historians, teachers, doctors, students, lawyers and many more have relied on history books and researches on significant events in history to prove their point. The question why history matters has been asked many times. It has been asked by students, teachers and parents sometimes. Some people may see this question as ridiculously easy but I see it as one of the hardest ones yet asked. Does History matter? This question can’t be answered in one sentence. Try asking people why history is important and the answer is usually “It’s to learn from our mistakes”. It’s not right to summarize over 4 billion years of history in one sentence. This question can be easily answered in numerous ways. I would side with the numerous historians who say history holds huge significance. History is older than any object or human being we have ever come across. History has proved itself significance with the help of human beings. We, the people have used history and made it one the most significant thing in present. History holds itself significant because it has helped us understand human behaviors, change in societies, mistakes influential figures have made in past, the past events occurrence and many other reasons. The most important reason is that history protects us by preparing us for the incoming. This essay would analyze the importance of history today by using the past events for evidence.
History is the bridge that connects the past with the present. Without history, we have no future. The past gives value to our present. David C. McCullough stated, “History is a guide to navigation in perilous times. History is who we are and why we are the way we are”. I agree with McCullough, history gives us a purpose. History allows us to investigate and interpret the past in order to see how we developed and where we came from. We can get an idea of what has influenced our past and present, and also what will shape our future. We can see what previous generations did and whether or not t...
It is important to study history because it teaches us about not only our own culture but about cultures all around the world. Learning about other cultures and how they look a the world and what their opinion on certain things are , helps us learn better ways of avoiding conflicts. History is just a way of getting us to understand human life and helping us embrace new ways of making a healthier lifestyle. Studying history is very important to all of our society because it answers every question. History is everywhere so why not learn about
History is everywhere today. I don’t think some people really realize how broad the word history really is. Basically when someone hears the word history they automatically think of some sort of culture like the ancient Egyptians, or some important date like December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor, when the United States officially entered the Second World War. But people don’t really realize there are so many other types of history. World leaders are making history with wars, conflicts, and new laws; movies are making history by selling outrageous numbers of tickets, athletes are making history by setting records everyday, and students are making history by graduating college. Every part of what you do is some type of history