1 . I believe Stearns thesis is the history should be studied because it is essential to individuals and to society (para. 4). Earlier in the article, Stearns tells that history is to be studied as a way to keep your head of others and as discipline (para. 4). He goes on to say how this kid wrong encourage mindless memorization (para. 4). Though it is one way to discipline oneself, it is in unappealing one. This would later become the reason to better justify why it is essential to study history. 2 . One example Stearns uses to explain my history helps us understand people and societies is; though some social scientist have attempted to formulate laws/theories about human behavior, they still depend on historical information (para.5). In The Importance of History in Our Own Lives, Stearns uses histories accuracy, drama, tails and skilled writing appeal as his examples (para. 6). Stearns later tells how history contributes to moral understanding. He does so by telling how studying the stories of individuals and situations in the past can inspire and test a student’s own moral senses (para.6). Stearns then gives examples in how history provides identity. Using historical data, family identity is established as well as the history of institutions, businesses, communities, and social units …show more content…
I do find Stearns argument convincing. In, what skills does a student of history develop?, Stearns talked about three main abilities history students develop. The first is the ability to assess evidence, which builds experience dealing with and assess seen various kinds of evidence. The second is the ability to assess conflicting interpretations. This is gaining the skill to sort through diverse, often conflicting interpretations. The last is the experience in assessing past examples of change.it's an essential skill in understanding change in today's society. In history is useful in the world of work, he tells of how the knowledge of history can open doors in the working
History is something that molds and shapes a person into who they are today. Thomas King shows this in his novel Truth and Bright Water through many of the characters. He not only lets you see how the aboriginal people’s history has affected their lives today, but also how the personal history of some characters has affected their lives. A person’s past can help one understand why they live their life the way they do; it is the answer to any question you had about them. All the minor events that go on throughout the novel explain how history affects an individual’s identity and Franklin, aunt Cassie and Monroe are excellent examples.
In The Death of History is Bunk, Patrick Watson argues that the decrease of historical content in the curriculum does not indicate that history, as a subject, is declining. While many complain about the decreasing prominence of history classes in Canadian schools, the content of those classes is excessively dull as it consists of memorizing lists of facts. Despite this, there are still protests that knowledge of “defining events” is required to contribute to “the National Conversation”. However, history is not so simple as a list of events—it is the sum of the small happenings in society around the events. A whole variety of factors influence history, which is created by the common people. Unlike Americans, who turn to their constitution for
In the article Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are written by David McCullough, is an essay in which he informs how important it is to learn about our history and how it shapes who we are today. Throughout, he connects important events from American History and relates it to our lives and the world around us. The three main ideas; which are “Character and Destiny”, “Our failure, Our Duty”, and “Listening to the Past”. These ideas
Finally, through history we can do things correctly. We might have done much better than before because we already know its history. And besides, everything that is happening today is the product of history. It helps us become more efficient in decision making, one starts to inquire and be interested in things that may greatly affect lives in the present and
First of all, history is influential because it teaches people in groups, individuals, or as nations how humans perceive a complicated situation. Furthermore, how humans solve these complications is something we are also taught. In this
History, a collection of the past, holds a lot of information about events and society to help inform us in the present as it is the only data
A person who views history as the actions of individuals is what brought about history believes in personality views, whereas a person how believes the culture and intellectual environment of a particular history era believes in the naturalistic history (Goodwin p. 10)
History is something that we all have knowledge of. It may be family history, or even your own but we all know of an experience that happened in the past. These experiences make us who we are, and they determine how we think. Not only that but they determine our emotions towards certain topics. Through characters in the book, "Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, " written by Jamie Ford, we learn that American identity is based on ones history and if we want America to become a stronger more united place everyone’s history must be accepted.
She carries the audience through her argument in a logical sequence. First, she makes her claim that student do not know history and explains her reasons (250). She then elaborates on what history students are taught and what exactly is wrong with the methods by which they learn (251). After this, she explains the job of a historian to the reader – how historians confront primary sources to “make some sense of what once happened” (252). To end the article, Simon describes how students can better learn history through exploring primary sources (253). This structuring and organization helps the reader to understand and to believe Simon’s
As the hostility grows between both parties, historians must consider the factual disposition of their writings. Empiricist J.B. Bury stated that history is a “science, nothing more, nothing less”. The accurate connotations that science brings highlights the academics arguments. Although not completely a science, history integrates different forms of science, such as geology, in order to reach the objective truth (Evans). It is the assertion of history as a science to which academics believe their history is presented. To which, academic’s believe their rival’s representation of history is inaccurate, and therefore invalid. Academic historians insistence to their own superiority may contend to their tension between
If there is one reason for a student to attend a history class, it is that he can learn from the mistakes
January 5th 1849 marks the birth of a great man named Sir Samuel Benfield Steele, who has helped to define a major part of our Canadian Identity. This identity would come from his background as the third sworn in North West Mounted Police (NWMP) officer and this new Western Canadian Police Force would become one of the Canada’s greatest symbols that we now call the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). If I ask you what qualities our National Police Force contains, the first thing that come to mind is strength and courage. Samuel Steele fitted the heroic attributes of the early and modern NWMP and RCMP perfectly. He didn’t just contain those characteristics, but he also looked the part, tall, barrel-chested, and handsome inspiring confidence and courage in men and
To know the past is to know the future. In his essay Knowing History and Knowing Who We Are, David McCullough argues about the importance of studying and teaching history. In his essay, he explains that there are three main points about history: character and its effect upon destiny, our failure of teaching the future generation, and the importance of learning and listening to history. David McCullough strongly advocates that audience should start to listen to and teach about the past in order to learn about the way a person’s character can affect their destiny.
History is a subject that can define a person’s heritage. Each one is different, but can have a few similarities. Each person’s history can explain where their family originated, the culture that they are originally from, the struggles that their family encountered, and so much more. But the most important thing that a person’s history can show, is how they ended up where they are today.
The question of “What is History?” is answered through philosophical questions. This led to many tangents which could confuse readers and retract from the strength of the thesis. Furthermore, the concept of history being based on facts almost seems to be refuted as the author states that facts are not always concrete. An example of this is when the Carr mentions that articles are seen as a form of fact, however, that documents only tell what the author of the document believed had happened. Such a rebuttal causes confusion on whether to trust historic “facts,” as all as they seem to be all