Why Study History?

Why Study History?

Admit it, You Love History

Although you may not realize it, you love history. If you take pictures, save birthday cards, or keep a scrapbook then you are a historian. Many of your favorite movies (on television or at the theatre) or books are probably based on a special time in history. (You will be able to better appreciate what you watch if you know history). Like romance? History is full of incredible romances. Like adventure? History records fantastic adventures. Like science? History tells of the unbelievable progress in technology, inventions, etc. through the centuries. Like Music? History! Religion? History! Politics? History! Sports? History! Nature? History! People? History! Money? History! War? History (unfortunately). Art? History. Distant cultures? History. You get the point!

History is Not a Textbook

History is "all that has happened in the past." The "past" includes everything up to the present--including what you are doing right now. History is not a textbook! For instance, for years studying history meant basically studying a certain type of history--usually political. But in reality "history" involves much more than politics. Listed below are a few of the many aspects that make up history.

1). Political History--the story of governments, nations, laws, wars, etc. How did they start? What has caused war? Can it be avoided? Which system of government works better? This has been the traditional approach to history.

2). History of Ideas--study of great "thinkers" such as Plato, Rousseau, Voltaire, Marx, Freud, and Locke; and clusters of ideas such as Scholasticism, Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment, and Existentialism. What have the "great" thinkers written and said? What is the meaning of life? Is there an absolute standard for right and wrong? Is there a perfect form of government? Is mankind basically good or evil?

3.) Religious History--really a part of the history of ideas but often treated separately. What answers have been offered to the "deep" questions by Christian religions, Islamic faiths, or the Eastern religions? What is the background of the various churches? What are the historical origins of our religious systems?

4.) Popular History--"popular" does not mean "well-liked" (though it may be) but rather having to do with the population at large, or the "common man." Many historians of recent times have said that traditional attempts to explain history have focused only on the "elite" (the big shots) or the literate (those who could read and write). They claim that since only a few could read or write it is wrong to pretend that what the few said, thought, and did, represents what really took place. They ask--"what about the great numbers of common, illiterate, people? What did they experience? This is sometimes referred to as history "from the ground up" (as opposed to the traditional "from the top down").

5.) Social History--having to do with families, marriage, divorce, expectations for kids, romance, and the "s" word. The historians who emphasize social history ask questions of the past like: How large were the families during a particular time? How old were couples when they were married? Who made the decision about who could marry whom? What was romance and courtship like? What was the role of the mother, father and kids?

6.) Women's History--really a part of social history; the study of the history of women has recently been receiving much greater attention. The historian who emphasizes women's history would say that too much of traditional, political and intellectual history discusses only what the men were saying and doing. They would say that the role of women has been neglected. Among the questions they ask of the past: What was the role of women during a particular time? What rights and responsibilities did they have? How did they respond to their situation?

7.) Economic History--this area of study has been, and continues to be, very influential. A particular group of historians called "Marxist" (after Karl Marx) explain history in terms of economics (money and resources). All economic historians are not Marxists but all ask a different set of questions of the past such as: How rich or poor were a group of people and did their economic state cause them to seek revolution? What is the most efficient way to distribute resources? (should the government take charge or stay out of the way?) What factors led to the Great Depression and how might we avoid a repeat performance?

8.) Art and Music History--studies the past by looking at architecture, paintings, sculptures, and studying the changes in music over the years.

9.) History of Education--again, really a part of social history, but historians of education tend to emphasize questions such as: What were schools like in the past? What is the goal of education? What was the drop out rate in the past? Who was allowed to go to school? What subjects were studied? How important has an education been?

10.) History of Science--emphasizes the growth of technology, inventions, medicine, astronomy, weaponry, etc. Asks questions such as: How has science helped or harmed our lives over the years? How did the growth of scientific knowledge change the way people felt about the universe and themselves?

11.) Ethnic History--emphasizes the development and perceptions of races over the centuries. Often the concentration is on a specific racial group. Those who trace the history of a race ask questions such as: How have minorities been treated over the years? What are the roots of prejudice? What distinguishes one race from another? How have minority groups struggled to obtain equality? What is the status of racial equality?

12.) Sports and Recreation--what did people do for fun before the invention of the idiot box (television)? How did they survive before the Super Bowl? Where did you take a date? How much free time did people have? How important was leisure time to people of a various period? Who was able to participate in recreational activities?

13.) Fashion--how did people dress? You can tell a lot about people and society by how they dress, from peasant to king.

14.) Demographics (population growth)--what was the death rate for infants? How long could people at various times expect to live? How did the death rate affect family relations? Does the population boom mean we will run out of room on the planet?

If, at this point you are thoroughly confused as to what history is…good! That is a step in the right direction. History is not simply the memorization of facts and events. Although a solid factual understanding is important, history is so much more dynamic and exciting than the textbook can explain. The textbook is an important part of the class and you must know what is in it so that we can build upon it. But just as a skeleton is not a man so a history textbook is not history--for the heart and soul are missing.

Think back over the above descriptions of "types" of history and you will discover that they are not as distinct as the have been shown. A good history book will discuss many, if not all, of the above aspects of history. Each of the categories is actually inseparable from the others. For instance to understand the "common man" you would need to identify what music they listened to, the art they developed, their financial condition, and what they did for recreation.

The Past Always Changes (there is no fact pile)

"History is a pack of tricks played on the dead" Voltaire

What is history? It is everything that has ever happened. It is impossible to know history. We cannot study everything that has happened for even the last 500 years--much less from the beginning of time. In fact, we could easily spend the entire year studying one event or person and not be "finished." Because it is impossible to learn all of what has happened in the past, somebody must decide what is worth learning. Whether a filmmaker, a writer, or a teacher, a decision must be made regarding where in history to shine the spotlight. When Voltaire said that history is a trick played on the dead he was arguing that people in the present use the past for their own purposes.

"Youthful brains must in general not be burdened with things 95 per cent of which it does not need and therefore forgets again"

Adolph Hitler, Mein Kampf.

Even if we enjoy studying history it begs the question--"does it matter"? Furthermore, what about the argument that we forget most of what we learn anyway, so why bother? It certainly seems to be true. We do seem to forget much of what we once knew. Do we forget 95% of what we learn?

Kids are Stupid

In dealing with Hitler’s argument let’s establish first that kids are stupid. They touch a hot stove, burn themselves and howl with pain, only to wander over and do it again if not watched carefully. Kids run into the street after a cheap ball, oblivious to the thundering 3,000 lb. car bearing down on them. They cry when they are tired or hungry, but fight to keep from going to bed or eating. Kids are stupid. Remember this.

The two basic reasons why we study history:

To gather experience outside ourselves.

To see the big picture.

Gathering Experience (the Sandbox)

History gives us doorways through which we can travel throughout the world, to different times and places. Kids aren’t really stupid, they just lack experience. Hopefully, after they learn that when they take a nap they fell better they will no longer resist naps. Over our lifetime we accumulate a vast number of experiences, and yet, if we rely only on our own experience we will look very foolish. We will have to jump of a cliff to discover that it is a bad idea. If we are smart we won’t insist on learning everything only through our own experiences. It is not simply a matter of avoiding mistakes. History shows us positive examples also. For instance, let’s say that you have tried to do something over and over but failed each time. You are discouraged and ready to give up. However, you once learned that Thomas Edison suffered hundreds of failed attempts to invent the light bulb before he was successful, so you are inspired to persevere.

The Sandbox

When you were three months old you knew all about life--it was about sleeping and eating. As you got a bit older you discovered a world that included that thing that dangled above your crib that you could kick with your feet. When you were three the sandbox in the backyard was your world. By seven, you laughed at the ignorance of the little kids since you were allowed to play on the swing set in the local park. By twelve your world had expanded to your local town. Perhaps, your world greatly expanded when you were finally able to drive (probably, at first, you couldn’t even find your way around town). At whatever age we are, we should recognize that there are bigger sandboxes. We need to open our minds to a bigger world of knowledge.

See the Big Picture

History is not job training. Understanding the lessons of the past, and developing the skills that you use when you study history, will aid you in your career of choice, but it is not simply about creating another generation of history teachers. A recent television commercial for a vocational school showed two brothers in a room. One was diligently studying history while his brother said, "while he is studying the past I am preparing for my future." Alas, the brother went to vocational school and learned to make eight-track players. Well, he might have, if the commercial had a sequel. The point is that, without the big picture in mind, your energies may be wasted.

The Ocean

Without studying the past it is as if you are floating in the middle of the ocean and you see land (your objective) and begin to swim toward it. You are working hard and swimming strongly but you can’t seem to reach your goal. Why not? You have failed to adjust for the rise and fall of thewaves, for the forces that surround you. Let’s be more specific. You just want to go to the mall (your objective) but know nothing about inflation or tariff policy which cause prices to raise or fall (the big picture). You just want to go to the movies but know nothing about monopolies or trusts or crises in the Middle East so are taken aback by skyrocketing gas prices. You want free health care from the government but are unaware of the cost in taxes. The illustration are limitless.

So what about Hitler’s 95%?

Hitler tried to get people to stop thinking so that he could do the thinking for them, so clearly he did believe in learning--just not for others. However, he made another mistake. Read on.

Walking and Talking at the Same Time

Where and when did you learn to walk or talk? Can you remember? If you can’t does that mean it is part of the 95% you forgot? We are the product of our experiences. The opinion that you have formed are based on the books you have read, the classes you have taken, the friends you have encountered, and the instruction of your parents. If you learned it, you have not forgotten as much as you may think. You just don’t remember where you learned it.

Pop Quizzes Five Years Later

To illustrate, say your high school history teacher stumbles across you at a local college 5 years after you took his or her class. If the teacher asked you to name one thing you learned in your year-long class what would you say? Perhaps, you could remember the teacher’s name. Maybe a fun activity you did. Hopefully, a detail or two. It would probably not be too impressive. Your teacher might be discouraged and you would both wonder if it was all a waste. The problem is in the original question. It is not critical that you remember when, or where, you learned something (you walk and talk without remembering, don’t you?). If you simply talked with your former history teacher for awhile and showed that you had balanced, educated viewpoints on issues such as race relations, the role of government, and the economy, then you teacher could, along with parents, movies, books, etc., see that you had learned.

Bowling and Thomas Edison

Earlier it was stated that if you knew Thomas Edison’s story then you would know that you could overcome failure through hard work. Well, let’s say that you are discouraged because you can’t seem to figure out how to keep the bowling ball from falling into the gutter. Does a light spring on inside you and you say "but wait, Edison overcame obstacles so I can too"? Probably not. You simply seem to feel that hard work will pay off. Why? Maybe your parents work hard. Maybe you were inspired by Edison as a youngster. Again, it was your experiences that shaped you.

When you are overcome with physical pain and despair you probably don’t think about the Holocaust--and then feel inspired by the ability of the human spirit to survive in horrible situations. And yet, you do, if you have had sufficient experience, know that you can get through your problem. Where did you learn it? Who can know? Maybe, in part, it was a high school history class that broadened your perspective.