Why+study+history?!

History is the study of the past (people, events, issues) to explain the present (how you arrived at where you are) in order to better prepare for the future.

In order to understand and determine how we got to where we are today we have to know and understand history, both our personal and national history. To know why we do what we do, why we think the way we think, and why we perceive things the way we do we have to know where we have been, what past events drive our present thoughts. Every decision you make on a daily basis is based on history.

Just as it is a right to vote in the elections, it is also a right to question what our nation’s position is in events that effect us and the world around us, such as war, taxes, economy, abortion, etc. To exercise this right is to become an informed citizen by studying history and knowing what your nation has done in the past that effects what it is doing today. And to learn what it is doing today so that you can present an informed front to your discussion on politics, complaints about taxes, protesting wars, or whatever else may be important to you.

History is also not factual based truth. It is in the eye of the beholder, an interpretation of events and perceptions of the events. Two historians can argue their whole life on an event and neither one will ever come close to the whole truth. It is in the past, we cannot go back and recreate it. Even if we could recreate it, we would only see our perception of it, which is still not the truth. We can only analyze what people’s perceptions of the event were, what did it cause and how it effects today. You not only research the factual event; you also study the myths and stories. That is what makes history so fun!!

I promise this history class will not be memorizing a bunch of dates and a bunch of powerful men. You will not have to repeat what I said and what I believe to make me happy. And I hope that the class will become more than a stupid class that you have to take to graduate from high school.

In both US I and US II, you will be asked to look for primary and secondary resources. What are primary and secondary sources, you ask? Good question, watch video below for the answer.

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As you work through each of the US History units, our goal is to guide you through the process of "thinking historically." Call me crazy, but I don't care if you can memorize dates or the names of the Presidents. I do care about how you are able to analyze a historical event from various perspectives, draw conclusions from the outcomes to make an impact on your own life, and critically view the current events happening in your life that have been impacted by the past. The next video helps to visually describe the concept of "thinking historically."

Why Historical Thinking Matters